
Glass. 
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COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 




THOMAS HOLMES, D. D.. LL. I). 



The Kingdom of God 

Studies from the View-point of "Our Father" 



BY 

REV. THOMAS HOLMES, D. D„ LL. D. 

Author of "Light in Dark Places," "The Reformation of the 
Nineteenth Century," etc. 



DAYTON, OHIO I 
THE CHEISTIAN PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION 

1912 






Copyright, 1912 
The Christian Publishing Association 



£C!.A31G952 






s 



PKEFACE 

This is a new book — new Studies from a new View- 
point. The theory that the Kingdom of God is based 
upon and sustained by His Omnipotence — that it is 
practically a Military Despotism, has prevailed from 
the day the suggestion of such a kingdom was first 
made to the human mind to the present time. That 
this should be the case is just as natural as it was that 
the first theory of astronomy should be that the earth 
was the center of the universe, and that the whole 
celestial system revolved around that center. It was 
really impossible that it should have been otherwise. 
In each case appearances — the testimony of the senses 
— favored that theory. To the first students of the 
movements of the heavenly bodies, nothing could be 
more positive than that the heavens revolved around 
the earth. To the first students of the nature of a 
kingdom no other idea was possible than that it was 
a form of government ruled by a person whose throne 
rested upon a military foundation. To Abraham, 
Isaac, and Jacob, God was known as GOD AL- 
MIGHTY; to Moses, as JEHOVAH— the self -existent 
One, but still Almighty. When Christ was here, He 
endeavored to make men understand that "the kingdom 
of God is within," not a matter of observation. To 
Mcodemus He said, "Except a man be born from above, 
he cannot see the kingdom of God;" to Pilate, "My 
kingdom is not of this world." Still, at the last inter- 
view with His disciples, before His ascension, they 



4 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

asked Him, "Dost thou at this time restore the king- 
dom to Israel?" having in mind only a temporal king- 
dom. Instructed by the events that followed His 
ascension, the apostles soon apprehended the spiritual 
nature of the kingdom, as is evident from their writ- 
ings; but even to the present day the theory has 
prevailed that, though spiritual in its nature, it still 
stands upon His Omnipotence. This is also very 
natural, for there is not yet a government on earth that 
is not sustained by physical force. When loyalty 
fails in the army, the kingdom is divided against itself, 
and cannot stand. 

The author of this book thinks this theory has had 
its day. He believes "the fulness of time" has come, 
when Christian men, and all men, can understand that 
the acme of almightiness is the omnipotence of Infinite 
Love. Hence his point of view in his studies of the 
Kingdom of God is "Our Father." From this view- 
point we see the Kingdom of God as a Family Govern- 
ment — a moral government — instead of an arbitrary 
monarchy. God's subjects are His children, and His 
right to rule them is the right of a father in his family. 
His laws are precepts of instruction, prompted by a 
Father's love, and precisely adapted to the necessities 
and welfare of His children-subjects, and the obedience 
He requires is the obedience of filial loyalty — the 
obedience of a loving child to a loving and beloved 
Father. That is true obedience, and nothing else is. 

Studying life from this view-point, aided by careful 
observation of our human family relations, which are 
ordained for that very purpose, all the duties that grow 
out of our relations to God, and to our fellow men, are 
easily discovered and clearly understood. Being all 



PEEFAOE 5 

children of the same Father, members of the same 
family, and subjects of the same government, there is 
no difficulty in understanding, without diversity of 
opinion or dispute, the fundamental, all-embracing law 
(precept), "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God (thy 
Father) with all thy heart, and thy neighbor (brother, 
sister) as thyself." This theory is thoroughly Biblical, 
thoroughly intelligible and rational, and absolutely 
unmistakable and indisputable. Infidelity and sec- 
tarianism are both impossible in its light. It must 
lead to unity of doctrine and action. 

About twenty years ago the author conceived the 
idea that there must be a theory of religion (which i^ 
only another name for a true life) that will commend 
itself to the judgment, and receive the approval, of 
every candid, reasonable Bible student — a theory on 
which all Christians can and will conscientiously unite. 
To suppose the contrary is to impeach both the wisdom 
and goodness of the omniscient and most loving of all 
fathers. Since He gave us the Bible as a revelation 
of truth, both respecting Himself and our relations to 
Him and to one another, and the duties that grow out 
of those relations, on its pages such a theory must be 
found. We must remember, however, that the Bible is 
what the inspiring Spirit intended to teach; not what 
sectarian bigots have claimed to find there. 

To find this theory has been the author's study by 
day and dream by night, and his constant prayer day 
and night, for a full score of years. In answer to this 
prayer, and as the reward of this study, one day the 
helpful idea struck him that the words "Our Father" 
contain the primary idea of all things; and the view- 
point from which all the works of God should be 



6 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

studied. They represent two parties, and their rela- 
tions to each other; and all the duties these parties 
owe to each other, to themselves, and to all sentient 
creatures, grow directly out of these relations. From 
that moment this has been the central point from 
which he has endeavored to read God's thoughts, pur- 
poses, plans, and executive acts. Since all things had 
their origin in the mind of the Father, and His whole 
plan culminated in man, our inquiry at every step has 
been, What bearing has that fact, that law, that act, 
upon the welfare and happiness of man ? The answers 
he has obtained to this question, extending from the 
creation to the final judgment, are found in the follow- 
ing pages. 

There is yet one circumstance with which the reader 
should be acquainted before he commences to read this 
book. The author had not proceeded far in his orig- 
inal studies before he found himself forced to conclu- 
sions that differed materially from some of the doctrines 
in which he had been instructed from his childhood, 
and that he knew prevailed throughout Christendom. 
Then came a crucial question : — Dare I go forward on 
this line? Dare I leave the well-beaten path in which 
all Christendom has traveled so long? Dare I face a 
frowning world branded as a heretic? To these and 
other similar questions the answer came, Your view- 
point is right. Proceed carefully, studiously, prayer- 
fully, logically, placing implicit confidence in the won- 
derful book that God has given for the purpose of 
instructing men in such truths as no amount of human 
learning, no depth of scientific study, could ever 
discover, and the Spirit of truth will guide you into 
all truth. Fully believing there is truth yet to be 



PREFACE 7 

discovered, as important, perhaps more important than 
has already been discovered, trusting in God, he advanc- 
ed. The result is in your hand. Read it as candidly, as 
studiously, as conscientiously, as it has been written, 
and leave the result with God. May the Spirit of 
truth enlighten and guide us all ! The heretics of 
to-day may be heroes to-morrow. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Chapter I. — Before the Beginning. 

Space, Duration, and God had no beginning. That 
there is an uncaused Cause of all other existences is an 

intuition. Is God a person? Arguments Ontological, 

Cosmological, Psychological, Teleological, and Moral insuffi- 
cient to prove personality. Positive evidence of His per- 
sonality found only in the Bible. God's interview with 

Moses from the burning bush the most complete and unan- 
swerable. Deception impossible. 



Chapter II. — More about God. 

I. What is God? Horace Bushnell's theory. 

Shocking. Scriptures attributing to God members and 

faculties of man not anthropomorphisms. God is con- 
stituted of Soul and Spirit. Spirit is substance but not 

matter. II. God's attributes. Classification into Nat- 
ural and Moral not discriminating.- 1 suggest Necessary 

and Moral. III. Names and titles of God. How was 

God employed before the beginning? 



Chapter II. — The Beginning. 

John 1: 1. The Word was a person. The Word 

was with God. How came He there? Name Word 

appropriate. 



Chapter IV. — Creation and Evolution. 

Two persons in the Godhead. The Father creates, 

the Son evolves. First creative fiat. Giving existence 

to matter a creative act; forming it into orbs was evolution. 



10 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 



-Locating orbs a great mathematical problem. The 



first chapter of Genesis teaches both creation and evolution. 

Records of the formation of the earth and the creation 

of vegetable, animal, and human life, as found in the things 
created and made, and in Genesis, do not disagree, when 
both are truthfully interpreted. Process given in detail. 

Man's animal nature evolved; his spirit given by God. 

These two constitute him human. 



Chapter V. — Man — What? and Why? 

Man consists of soul, body, and spirit. Spiritual beings 
consist of soul and spirit; brutes, of soul and material body; 

man is allied to both. The soul is the personality. ■ 

The personal man lives in and uses the material body in 
his animal life, and the spirit body in his spiritual life. 
This constitutes him, and compels him to be, a Moral Agent. 



Chapter VI. — Our Father. 

Relations of God and the human race to each other, and 

the duties that grow out of these relations. The basis of 

the Kingdom of God. 



Chapter VII. — Moral Agency. 

Definition and constitution of a Moral Agent. Con- 
ditions of a moral act. Illustrated by the tree of for- 
bidden fruit, Genesis 2: 16, 17. Some foolish questions. 



Chapter VIII. — The Kingdom of God. 

Consists of the self-existent Jehovah, the pre-existent 
Son, the angels and the human race. 1. Of the exist- 
ence and personality of our King see Chapter I. For His 
Necessary Attributes see Chapter II. He has also Moral 
Attributes, and is a Moral Agent. Moral attributes nu- 
merous, but all embraced in one — LOVE. Notice only 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 11 

Justice and Mercy. Justice renders to all their exact 

deserts. Mercy delivers offenders from deserved punish- 
ment on condition of repentance. No antagonism. 

Justice never inflicts extreme punishment without Mercy's 

consent. Mercy never pardons until Justice joins her in 

demanding it; both are attributes of Love. 2. Second in 
the Kingdom is the Son. A Moral Agent. Prime Min- 
ister. Moral Attributes the same as the Father's. — ■ — 

Executive Deity. In nature wholly divine. Jehovah 

of O. T., Christ of N. T. Wears the name of His Father. 

Discrepancies reconciled. 3. Angels. ''Minister- 
ing spirits." Moral Agents. "Holy angels," "angels 

that sinned." 4. Man. — The last, the highest, the no- 
blest, the most complete, of created things. "But little 

lower than God." 



Chapter IX. — Nature of this Government. 

Moral Agency a potential factor. God claims all 

men as His children. A Family Government. God is 

a Father-King. Arbitrary Sovereignty, based upon Om- 
nipotence, an error. Its laws, precepts of instruction. 

Imperative to obedience, love, not fear of punishment. 

Rewards and punishments. First penalties designed 

to reform. When the offender becomes incorrigible the 

safety and welfare of the innocent and loyal demand that he 

be restrained by force. Every government has its state 

prison. Hell is God's state prison. Pardon the high- 
est function of government. The unpardonable sin. 

Why our Savior was tempted. His temptations studied. 

Comprehend all forms of temptations. 



Chapter X. — Practical Working of God's Family Govern- 
ment. 

How have the different members of the family conduct- 
ed themselves, and what have been the consequences? 



The Father, perfect. The Son, perfect. Angels, some 

loyal; some disloyal. How the angels came to sin. 



12 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

War in heaven. Personality of the devil. Men, all in 

rebellion. 



Chapter XI. — The Great Rebellion. 

The government the most perfect; the administration, 

faultless; the rebellion most shocking. Consequences. 

1. Filled the world with false notions of God. 

2. The delusion that a self-denying, Christian life is detri- 
mental to the highest enjoyment. 3. That we must live 

Christian lives, to escape hell and go to heaven when we 

die. 4. For other delusions see Isaiah 59: 2; 5: 20; 

Romans 1: 21-32. 5. Most deplorable of all, his attitude 

toward his Father-King. Cause of Christ's agony in the 

garden. Universal sinfulness accounted for. Psychol- 
ogy of Conscience. 



Chapter XII. — The Fatal Choice. 

Adam and Eve were at first innocent. The forbidden 
fruit, with the command, "Thou shalt not eat of it," fur- 
nished the opportunity for a choice between obedience and 

disobedience, and they chose to disobey. The origin of 

evil is the act of the free will in choosing to do wrong. 

Temptation no excuse. Occurred first in heaven. 

Every opportunity to do right is an opportunity to do wrong. 

These are the only conditions under which the highest 

good can be attained. 



Chapter XIII. — Subduing the Rebellion. 

This rebellion will be conquered. Redemptive meas- 
ures promised immediately after the fall. Each eon of 

time marks a forward step, or several of them, in the progres- 
sive work. The first period — Adam to Noah. Men 

were left to themselves to teach all coming ages what the 
world would come to without acquaintance with and regard 

for God. The second period — Noah to Abraham. Noah 

taught worship. No people ever found since who did 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 13 

not worship something. What is worship? The third 

period — Abraham to Moses. Its lesson, Faith. How 

God cultivated Abram's faith. 



Chapter XIV. — Subduing the Rebellion, Continued. 

The Mosaic period, extending from Moses to Christ, is 
fraught with many lessons, all preparatory for Christ's mis- 
sion. Every event, from the revelation to Moses of the 

personality of God, and His name Jehovah, to the day of 
Pentecost, and the setting up of the kingdom of Christ, sym- 
bolic of some spiritual feature of the age in which we live. 



Chapter XV. — The Christian Era. 

The world ready for the introduction of God's spiritual 
kingdom. The attitude of the Father toward His rebel- 
lious children. His method of conquering the rebellion. 

Sent His Son to win them to filial loving obedience. 



Chapter XVI. — The Son of God — The Son of Man. 

God's extraordinary purpose required extraordinary 

methods. A mediator necessary, allied to both parties. 

Jesus was the "begotten Son" of God, born of a human 

mother, Mary, hence a divine soul in a human body. 

Evidences of the credibility of this story. 



Chapter XVII. — Christ's Mission. 

"Orthodox" theory erroneous. Why? What is 

the Word of God? 



Chapter XVIII. — Christ's Mission, Continued. 

Christ commissioned by His Father — our King — to pro- 
claim pardon to all who would lay down their arms, and 



14 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

take the oath of filial loyalty to their King. Repentance 

secures pardon, and the atonement (reconciliation) is com- 
plete. False theories refuted. Christ's death on the 

cross, to "draw all men unto Himself," was the supreme 
manifestation of divine love and anxiety to save every re- 
bellious human child of God. Christ is the Mercy-Seat, 

where God and sinful men meet face to face; and through 
whom, as our High Priest we are "reconciled to God." 



Chapter XIX. — Errors of Translation Corrected. 

In 1611 bigotry rendered an unprejudiced translation 
of passages on the atonement impossible. 



Chapter XX. — Saved by the Blood. 

Hinted in the acceptance of Abel's offering. Utility 

indicated in its shielding the families of Israel, when the 

destroying angel went through Egypt. Memorialized in 

the Passover. A fundamental doctrine of the Christian 

religion. A thorough study of the whole process of being 

saved. The blood of Christ is His divine life. The 

zoosperm of the second birth. Symbolized in the Lord's 

Supper. 



Chapter XXI. — The Kingdom of Christ. 

Not strictly synonymous with the Kingdom of God. 

Beginning small. — Hindrances to its progress. Correct 

principles prevailing. Triumph certain. — We are ambas- 
sadors. An ambassador is one of the highest commission- 
ed officers of a government. — His duties treated at length. 
Conclusion. 



CHAPTER I 



BEFORE THE BEGINNING — SPACE, DURATION, GOD 



SINCE there was a beginning, and since eternity 
has no beginning, there must have been a before- 
the-beginning. Jesus says, John 17 : 5, "Glorify 
thou me with the glory which I had with thee before 
the world (cosmos) was." There were existences, 
then, before "the beginning" mentioned in John 1:1; 
and "the beginning" in John 1 : 1 antedates "the begin- 
ning" in Gen. 1: 1. What were those existences? I 
answer, They were Space, Duration, and God. 

Of space and duration little need be said except that, 
indisputably, they are self-existent and infinite. They 
simply exist, have existed, and must continue to exist. 
They have no life, no thought, no activity, no attributes 
of any kind; and the conception of their existence is 
intuitive. We may note, however, in passing, that 
space furnishes the room within which to plant the 
universe (the cosmos) ; and duration, the time neces- 
sary for its growth, its evolution. 

The conception of God is different. Since life, 
thought, and efficient activity belong to Him; and since 
we become acquainted with no such facts by observa- 
tion or experience unconnected with efficient causation, 
the inquiry arises instinctively, How do we know there 
is such a Being? In searching for an answer to this 



16 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

question, we are forced to the alternative of admitting 
that our notion that events result from efficient causes 
is a delusion, or of assuming, without any further evi- 
dence than the necessity of the case, that there is a 
self-existent, uncaused Cause, in whom this law of 
sequence had its origin, and who is the original and 
all-sufficient Cause of all things that have had a 
beginning. In a text-book on Logic, that stands on a 
shelf directly in front of me as I write, I find the 
following: — "Demonstration implies either an infinite 
series of dependent propositions or an ultimate basis. 
There can be no demonstration by means of an infinite 
series of dependent propositions; for, to prove one 
proposition by another, and that by another, and so on 
ad infinitum, would require infinite time, and is, there- 
fore, impossible. Hence demonstration requires an ulti- 
mate basis. It must, therefore be an assumption or 
an intuition. It cannot be an assumption ; for then it 
would not be known to be true, and might be false, and 
demonstration would be impossible. The ultimate 
basis must, therefore, be an intuition, and the validity 
of demonstration implies the validity of intuitions." 
This ultimate basis of all inductive reasoning is the 
intuition that there is a self-existent, uncaused Cause 
that we call God. 

What, then, or who, is God? Is it, or He, a latent, 
incomprehensible, intelligent energy, working sponta- 
neously in what we call nature, or is there an intelligent 
Person, in whose very nature resides, without any caus- 
ative intervention or agency, all the characteristics, 
faculties, and functions that we recognize as belonging 
to and constituting personality? 

This is the first question to be determined in a 



BEFOEE THE BEGINNING 17 

treatise respecting a kingdom. If there is no personal 
God, there is no King; and if there is no King, there 
is no kingdom. No other question has ever taxed the 
inventive genius of master minds in search of truth as 
this has. It is unlike all other questions in that com- 
parison and illustration by means of other objects are 
utterly excluded. "To whom will ye liken God? or 
what likeness will ye compare unto him ?" 

Five distinct and ingenious arguments have been 
elaborated with careful study of the facts and laws of 
the natural universe, based upon the well-established 
fact that all personal beings manifest their real self in 
their works. These arguments have been entitled, 
"Ontological," "Cosmological," "Psychological," "Tele- 
ological," and Moral. A brief statement of each of 
these arguments is necessary in order to show its 
insufficiency; and to prepare the way for what I con- 
sider the only positive, unquestionable evidence of God's 
personality that He has ever given to the world. 

The ontological argument seems to have been elab- 
orated by Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, in the 
latter part of the eleventh century, A. D. In the 
Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia this argument is stated in 
these words : — "There is something than which nothing 
greater can be conceived. This something must exist 
in reality as well as in the intellect; for, if it exists only 
in the intellect, then something greater than it could 
be conceived." The objection to this argument, as 
stated in the encyclopedia referred to, "lies in compar- 
ing that which has objective existence with a concep- 
tion as having mere subjective existence, and declaring 
the former to be greater than the latter." Perhaps 
that may suffice for those who can find no better. It 



18 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

suffices at least to show that the argument is unsatis- 
factory. My objection to it is this : — Whether logic- 
ally valid or not, it has no weight as evidence that the 
"Something than which nothing greater can be con- 
ceived" is a person. 

The cosmological argument is suggested by the uni- 
versal law of cause and effect; and is based upon the 
hypothesis that no chain of successive causes and 
effects can be infinite. It must terminate somewhere 
in an uncaused cause, and that uncaused Cause is God. 
This argument has had the support of such authorities 
as Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, Leibnitz, and others; 
but its validity has been denied by Samuel Clark, 
Immanuel Kant, and others equally distinguished. 
For my part I accept the force of the argument ; but it 
only assumes that the uncaused cause is a person, 
furnishing no positive evidence whatever of that fact. 
It is not sufficient. It can be evaded. 

The psychological argument was first presented by 
Descartes, in the early part of the seventeenth century. 
This argument, as stated by the late President Fair- 
child, Professor of Theology in Oberlin Seminary, in 
his Elements of Theology, is this: — "We have the idea 
of an infinite and perfect Being. There must be an 
archetype corresponding to this idea." On this argu- 
ment he remarks, "The argument seems to rest upon 
the assumption that all ideas which we necessarily 
have, and cannot be without, have a reality correspond- 
ing with them. Thus the idea is proof of the reality. 
This assumption is scarcely valid. The idea may be 
explained on other grounds. The idea of an infinite 
and perfect being is the natural correlative of ourselves 
as imperfect. The two ideas cannot be separated; 



BEFORE THE BEGINNING 19 

each implies the other. Thus the supposed axiom 
that every such idea implies an existence corresponding 
with it falls to the ground." 

Without questioning the validity of this objection, I 
have a still stronger one. Granting that an idea of an 
infinite and perfect something does imply the existence 
of an archetype corresponding, in which may be found 
all the intelligence and energy manifest in the material 
universe, that does not necessitate the conclusion that 
that intelligence and that energy reside in a person, 
The atheistic notion that matter is eternal, that it is 
impossible that something should be made out of noth- 
ing, and that intelligence and energy are inherent in 
matter itself, remains unanswered, untouched. 

The teleological argument is the oldest of them all. 
From the masterly order of the universe, the adaptation 
of means to ends, the wonderful mechanism of the 
entire creation, especially of the human body, by which 
it is fitted for its multitudinous utilities, and the evi- 
dence of useful design in every thing with which we 
come in contact, the conclusion is drawn that there 
is an intelligent designer; and that designer is God. 
The argument is a strong one; and has found favor 
with the most distinguished theologians in the world. 
Still it, like others, is not conclusive. Some of the 
facts claimed have been disputed, and many of them 
need explanation. Deformities, diseases, pestilences, 
blights, destructive tornadoes, and earthquakes, and 
many other evils seem quite out of harmony with the 
hypothesis of a benevolent personal designer. Never- 
theless, the argument is true so far as it goes. It 
proves intelligent design, and assumes a personal de- 
signer, which does not positively follow. 



20 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

If God had never given to the world more positive 
proof of His personality than is shown by either or all 
these arguments, it is at least doubtful that any finite 
mind, with all the facts and phenomena of matter, soul, 
and spirit under careful observation, would ever have 
conceived the idea of a personal author of the whole. 
Beasts, birds, insects, even vegetable life, seem to pos- 
sess inherent intelligence, and give no indication of 
having received it from any higher source. The 
beaver builds her dam with the skill and ingenuity of a 
master mechanic. The bee constructs her honey-cell 
with the ingenuity and precision of a geometrician. 
The spider weaves her web with mathematical accuracy 
and perfect knowledge of the strength of the material 
used, and the amount of material necessary at each 
point of the beautiful fabric. The entire oak is antici- 
pated and perfectly planned in the acorn. The root- 
lets of the pansy select from the earth, with certainty 
and precision that no chemist can surpass, the different 
materials necessary for its stem, its leaf, its flower; 
each atom finds its way to the place designed for it with 
unfailing certainty ; and where is the artist that paints, 
with a skill and delicacy that no human hand can equal, 
the peculiar artistic design of its petals? Even inani- 
mate matter shows intelligence in the chemical combi- 
nations of all its crystalline forms, from a drop of water 
or a breath of air, to the mightiest orbs that hang free 
in open space, and pursue their inconceivable whirl 
and onward rush through limitless and trackless re- 
gions during ages inconceivable, without collision, and 
without the variation of an instant of time. 

In the presence of all these facts, and myriads more 
of the same kind, it is just as easy for one who is so 



BEFOBE THE BEGINNING 21 

disposed, even with the concept of an infinite and intel- 
ligent person also in his mind, to claim that matter 
is eternal, and that all these evidences of an intelligent 
plan intelligently executed are inherent in it, as to 
discover in them evidences of a supreme, intelligent 
person, to whose "everlasting power and divinity" they 
should all be attributed. From all these facts and 
arguments, the fact of a personal, self-existent, un- 
caused Cause, who has created the whole, and whose 
infinite intelligence presides over and directs the whole, 
according to a complete and intelligent plan, conceived 
and ordained before the first creative fiat was spoken, 
is only an inference. But there is yet one more 
hypothesis to be considered. 

The moral argument is based upon the facts of man's 
moral and spiritual nature. The soul of man "cries 
out for the living God." All men believe in an intelli- 
gent person superior to themselves. Prayer is univer- 
sal. Even those who have deluded themselves into 
the belief that there is no personal God cry out for 
superhuman help in time of peril ; and their cry is not 
to the forces of nature, but to a Supreme Person, who 
can help if He will. 

The soul of man, being endowed with life, dynamic 
forces, and will-power, being also conscious of defects, 
imperfections, and limitations in the use of these pow- 
ers, must inquire, especially in the presence of such 
displays of superhuman forces as he often witnesses, 
"Is there not a supreme, personal Being, who possesses 
these powers in perfection, without limitation?" 
Hence he looks for evidences, and makes the most 
possible of every indication of such a person; but, so 
far as all these arguments go, he looks in vain. Sug- 



22 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

gestions, possibilities, even probabilities are not want- 
ing; confirmations of belief in the existence of such a 
Being, if there is one, abound everywhere ; but where is 
the positive, unanswerable, unquestionable, satisfactory 
evidence that must remove every doubt — an argument 
against which no plausible reason can be found ? Even 
the moral argument is not satisfactory ; for, deep as is 
the conscious demand for such a Being, men often cry 
out for help, with all the earnestness of their imperiled 
souls, and cry in vain. In the midst of their crying 
they perish, and unbelievers continually say, "Where is 
thy God?" 

Is there, then, no evidence that is positive and per- 
fectly satisfying on this most vital of all questions? 
Has God left us to simply hope, and infer, in this condi- 
tion of distressing doubt and uncertainty? It surely 
would not be like Him. He must, in simple justice, 
leave every man without excuse. But, if He has given 
such evidence, what is it, and where may it be found? 
I answer, It is found in the Word of God; and every 
person who finds it will be perfectly satisfied as to its 
positiveness and reliability. No candid inquirer for 
truth can find a quibble against it. It cannot be found 
with such certainty on every page, but it is there. 

The invisible God can be known to finite minds only 
as He has revealed Himself, and if we will know what 
He has revealed concerning Himself, we must first 
find wherein and whereby He has made such revelation. 
The following are fundamental axioms that I have em- 
ployed as guides in the "Studies" that are compiled in 
this volume. 

1. In His creative works God has revealed His 
superhuman wisdom to plan, and power to execute, 



BEFORE THE BEGINNING 23 

works that are incomprehensible to finite minds. We 
read in Romans 1 : 20, "The invisible things of him from 
the creation of the world are clearly seen, being per- 
ceived through the things that are made, even his ever- 
lasting power and divinity." This means that God's 
infinite power and wisdom — His omnipotence and om- 
niscience — are clearly seen in the wonderful mechanism 
of the material universe. This is true, but nothing 
more. 

2. In His Word God has revealed many things, of 
the utmost importance for us to know, that no ac- 
quaintance with the material universe could ever even 
suggest. The following are some of them: — His per- 
sonality, His essence, His moral agency and character, 
His fatherhood of the human race, the constitution of 
man and his moral agency, His method of developing 
human character, the alienation of all men from the 
filial love and loyal obedience due Him as "Our Father" 
— our King, His method of reforming His alienated and 
rebellious children, and winning them back to filial 
love and loyal obedience; the rewards of righteousness 
and the inevitable consequences of wrong-doing, the 
certainty of a future existence, and the final destiny 
of the redeemed and of the persistently incorrigible. 
All these important truths are clearly revealed in the 
Bible; and not one of them could ever have been dis- 
covered by any possible scientific inquiry without it. 
Physical laws are all in perfect harmony with moral 
laws, for God's laws never cross one another. The 
music of the spheres harmonizes perfectly with the 
music of the soul of man and the Spirit of God; but 
nothing that is discernable by the physical senses can 
ever teach spiritual truth. Spiritual things must be 



24 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

spiritually discerned. The Bible is God's revelation 
of the spiritual facts and spiritual laws that pertain to 
the relations existing between Himself and His human 
children. This is the exact meaning of the inspiration 
of the Bible. He employed human scribes to write it, 
and the book may contain evidences of this fact, but He 
is its infallible Author. 

Pardon this digression. It was necessary to the 
understanding of our argument. We were inquiring 
for positive evidence of the personality of God, our 
King. My statement was that no argument based 
upon the wonderful order of creation, either in the 
material or intellectual world, is sufficient to prove 
beyond reasonable doubt the personality of the Creator. 

The question may be raised right here, What are the 
invariable and positive characteristics of personality? 
to which our answer is, The power to use intelligently- 
spoken language, and ability to hold intelligent conver- 
sation with others, thereby revealing self-conscious- 
ness and the consciousness of persons and things out- 
side of self. The intelligent use of the personal pro- 
nouns I, my, me, you, your, he, his, him, are also unfail- 
ing, indisputable evidences of personality. 

We are now prepared to open the Book : but to what 
passage shall we turn ? 

Of the numerous interviews recorded in the Bible, as 
having been held between men and God, there is one at 
least that took place under circumstances so extraor 
dinary, and of a nature so peculiar, that deception 
cannot be claimed; and the identity of the interlocutors 
is unmistakable. I refer to God's interview with 
Moses from the burning bush, recorded in the third 
and fourth chapters of Exodus. Particular and care- 



BEFORE THE BEGINNING 25 

ful attention to the details of this interview will give 
us the evidences of the personality of God that we de- 
sire. The particulars to be noticed are the following: 

1. This interview occurred in one of the most seclud- 
ed, out-of-the-way localities that can be found on the 
face of the earth. The first verse of the third chapter 
reads, "Moses was keeping the flock of Jethro his father- 
in-law, the priest of Midian : and he led the flock to the 
back of the wilderness, and came to the mountain of 
God, unto Horeb." 

At the north end of the Red Sea two arms of the sea 
extend northward into the land; the one on the west 
side, called the Gulf of Suez, two hundred miles at the 
present time, but much further at that time ; the one on 
the east side, about one hundred miles, called the Gulf 
of Akaba. The triangular area lying between these 
gulfs is a part of Arabia Petrea (Rocky Arabia) ; and 
at the southern point is Horeb, "the mountain of God." 
The location is such that a thoroughfare of travel is 
impossible; and the Midianites, at that time, could 
have known little, if anything, about the rest of the 
world. Moreover, it is evident that there were no 
residents in that immediate neighborhood at that time, 
and no other human being except Moses. "He led his 
flock to the back of the wilderness." So far as human 
companionship was concerned, he was alone. No other 
human being was near him. 

2. A green, growing bush, in the full vigor of vege- 
table life, stood in the midst of the plain, apart from 
any other bush or tree. While busily engaged in the 
care of his flock, suddenly, "he looked, and, behold, the 
bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed." 
Though in the midst of flames of fire, its branches were 



26 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

not consumed, nor were its delicate green leaves 
scorched. This was a new and astonishing phenom- 
enon. 

3. "And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see 
this great sight, why the bush is not burnt." Moses 
was no coward, neither was he superstitious. He 
believed that even this extraordinary event must have a 
cause, and he wanted to know that cause. 

4. As he was cautiously approaching the flaming 
bush, suddenly a voice falls upon his ear. With clear, 
distinct utterance his name is called: — "Moses!" — He 
is startled, stops, looks intently at the bush, from which 
the voice had manifestlv come. "What is that?" 
"Who called my name?" — "Moses! Moses." — "Here am 
I." — "Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the 
ground on which thou standest is holy ground. I am 
the God thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of 
Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Who can describe the 
awe with which he was overwhelmed ? He was stand- 
ing in the personal presence of the living, ALMIGHTY 
GOD, in the midst of surroundings where it was im- 
possible to be deceived. The presence of a human being 
was impossible. He was beyond the reach of any 
human voice. No man could live in a flame of fire. 
No person but himself knew anything about Abraham, 
Isaac, and Jacob, or about the God they worshiped; 
and knowledge of his father or of the God he worshiped 
was still farther from being possible. 

5. Moses had often been in the presence of the dumb 
gods of the Egyptians, that knew nothing, and could 
say nothing, but here was a God who could speak, who 
could use the personal pronouns I, thou, thy ; who knew 
his ancestors who lived four hundred years before ; and 



BEFOEE THE BEGINNING 27 

his father who lived four score years before. What 
could it all mean? "And Moses hid his face, for he 
was afraid to look upon God." 

Header, pause a moment and think. Do you not see 
in this wonderful event, unlike any other of which the 
world has a record, the divine purpose to give to the 
world an evidence of the personality of the living God 
that is in no sense an inference, an induction, nor an 
assumption; and that cannot be refuted? an evidence 
so positive and reliable that it must command the un- 
qualified assent of every reasonable intelligent being? 
But this is only the beginning of the story. Let us 
follow the record farther. 

6. When Moses had recovered somewhat from his 
overwhelming astonishment and awe, and was brought 
into a suitable attitude of mind and body — reverential, 
but calm and self-possessed — this strange personage 
made an address of considerable length, in a language 
perfectly understood by Moses, concerning a people 
with whose history he was well acquainted, showing 
familiarity with the past history and present condition 
of that people, which was impossible to any Midianite. 
Now note the pronouns, as well as the matter, in the 
following quotation : — "I have surely seen the affliction 
of my people that are in Egypt, and have heard their 
cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their 
sorrows; and I am come down to deliver them out of 
the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of 
that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flow- 
ing with milk and honey." "Come now, therefore, and 
I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring 
forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt." 
Can any man evade the conviction that these words 



28 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

were spoken by an intelligent person? and was there a 
man on earth who could use such language? 

7. If Moses was overwhelmed with awe when God 
announced who He was, he was overwhelmed with 
astonishment at this announcement. "Who am I," he 
exclaims, "that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I 
should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?" 
God replies, "Surely, I will be with thee." and Moses' 
deep consciousness that he was in actual face to face 
conference with the Almighty God is seen in the readi- 
ness with which he accepts the promise. He knew he 
was not deceived. 

This circumstance of the interview, together with 
Moses' plea that he was not eloquent, that led to the 
appointment of Aaron as his spokesman, show plainly 
that this is not a story fabricated by Moses to cover 
up an inward ambition to head the rebellion that should 
deliver Israel from their bondage, and furnish a plaus- 
ible excuse for the undertaking. If the great under- 
taking had been one of his own devising, he would have 
left these items out of his story. 

8. Another difficulty, however, arises in the mind of 
Moses. His brethren who were in bondage were much 
better acquainted with the gods of the Egyptians than 
with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and each 
Egyptian god had a name. A nameless god, though 
he might claim to be the God of their ancestors, would 
have but little influence with them. "And Moses said 
unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of 
Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers 
hath sent me unto you; and they shall say unto me, 
What is his name? what shall I say unto them?" 

This is an incident of the greatest importance and 



BEFORE THE BEGINNING 29 

significance, and requires most careful and exhaustive 
study. In order to prepare the mind of Moses for the 
announcement of His significant personal name, a name 
that had never been given to the world, God first states 
a fact respecting His existence, that had never up to 
that time been made known to any man. He says to 
him, "I AM BECAUSE I AM." This means, No other 
reason can be given for His existence only that He does 
exist. The translation "I am that I am," found in the 
text of all English versions, is the most unfortunate 
and misleading imaginable. It means nothing. It is 
neither Hebrew nor English ; and has obscured the most 
significant and important statement God has ever made 
respecting Himself. 

The reason for not rendering it as I have rendered it, 
and as it is found in the margin of the American revis- 
ion, is obvious. It is a statement that is contrary to 
all human experiences; and, for that reason seems 
perfectly absurd. In the realm of the finite, every 
existence has a cause; but in the realm of the infinite, 
the only reason that can be given for existence is it 
exists because it does exist. Hence, when God said 
to Moses, I AM BECAUSE I AM, He stated the exact 
truth. He gave the only reason for His existence that 
can be given. 

Having made known to Moses this important fact, 
God says, "Thus shalt thou say unto the children of 
Israel, JEHOVAH, the God of your fathers, the God of 
Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath 
sent me unto you ; this is my name forever, and this is, 
my memorial unto all generations." See also Exodus 
6 : 3, "I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto 



30 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

Jacob, as GOD ALMIGHTY ; but by my name JEHO 
VAH I was not known to them." 

The word JEHOVAH means self-existent; and this 
event reveals for the first time in the history of the 
world, under circumstances where deception was im- 
possible, both the personality of God, His self-existence, 
and the "memorial" significant name by which He is to 
be known "unto all generations." The existence of a 
personal, self-existent God is thus made certain, posi- 
tive, unquestionable, to the end of time; and the evi- 
dence is found in the Bible, and nowhere else. 

The remaining incidents of the wonderful interview 
are not necessary to the validity or completeness of our 
argument. That the person who talked with Moses at 
that time was JEHOVAH, the only self-existent PEK- 
SON in the universe, is proven to the entire satisfaction 
of every demand of reason. The only question remain- 
ing, on which even a quibble can be raised, is whether 
the account here given is authentic and reliable. That 
Moses was deceived as to the facts stated has been 
shown to be impossible. That he fully believed he was 
thus divinely commissioned to deliver the people 
through the means and in the manner here indicated is 
evident from every act of his life from that day to the 
day when God took him to Himself from the top of 
Nebo. That such a man lived and performed the works 
attributed to him is evident from the well-known his- 
tory of the most remarkable people the world has ever 
known — a people exact and particular to the last degree 
in their genealogy and national records, and still 
extant. 

Taken as a whole — its particulars and its results — 
this interview furnishes evidence of the personality 



BEFORE THE BEGINNING 31 

and self-existence of JEHOVAH that has no parallel, 
either in the wonderful mechanism of the cosmos, or on 
the pages of the history of the world ; and that must be 
accepted as positive, unanswerable, unquestionable. 

THIS LIVING, PERSONAL GOD IS OUR KING. 
LET ALL THE WORLD RECEIVE HIM AS SUCH ; 
REVERE HIM, ADORE HIM, AND OBEY HIM. 



CHAPTER II 



MORE ABOUT GOD 



HAVING found satisfactory foundation for our 
faith in the existence and personality of our 
God and King, guided by observation, experi- 
ence, careful, logical reflection, and we hope by His 
Spirit, we will proceed reverently to learn whatever we 
may respecting Him. Our inquiry pertains just now 
to that portion of eternity that preceded "the begin- 
ning." What may we rationally suppose, or imagine, 
respecting Him during that inconceivable period ? Do 
not shrink back; there is nothing to fear. There is 
not a truth in the universe, whether it relates to Creator 
or creature, that God is not willing we should know, if 
we will find it. There is nothing too sacred for the 
most free and searching investigation. Above all 
things, we need have no fear nor hesitation in inquiring 
into the nature, essence, constitution, attributes, mo- 
tives, and methods of the Deity. The more we know 
about Him, the more we shall revere Him, the more 
perfectly we shall love Him, and the more intelligently 
and acceptably shall we be able to serve Him. 

As for exploring this mysterious period, I am not the 
first to venture into its fathomless depths. Who has 
not wondered what God was doing before "the fulness 
of time" arrived when He should pronounce the first 



34 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

creative fiat? It is because the inquiry is in every 
mind, and because I am so painfully impressed with 
what seem to me the absurd, unnatural, and harmful 
ideas commonly entertained respecting Him, that I ven- 
ture to present what I believe to be a more consistent 
theory on the subject. 

Probably no conception of God, as existing before 
"the beginning," has ever expressed more minutely and 
correctly the popular idea than the one given by 
Horace Bushnell, the master original and fearless 
thinker of the early part of the nineteenth century, in 
his work entitled "God in Christ," pages 137-139. We 
copy it entire. 

"To bring the whole subject fully before us, let us 
endeavor, first of all, to form the distinctest notion pos- 
sible of God, as existing in Himself, and unrevealed. 
Then we shall understand the better what is necessary 
to reveal Him. Of course, we mean, when we speak of 
God as unrevealed, to speak of Him anterior to His 
act of creation, for the worlds created are all outgoings 
from Himself, and in that view revealments of Him. 
God unrevealed is God simply existing as spirit, in 
Himself. 

"Who now is God, thus existing in Himself? Has 
He any external form, by which He may be figured or 
conceived? No. Is He a point without space — is 
He space without limit? Neither. Is He activity 
connected with any sort of motion? Certainly not; 
motion belongs to a finite creature ranging in the 
infinite. Is there any color, sound, sign, measure, 
by which He may be known? No. He dwells in 
eternal silence, without parts, above time. If, then, 
we can apprehend Him by nothing outward, let us 



MORE ABOUT GOD 35 

consider, as we may without irreverence, things of a 
more interior quality in His being. Does He, then, 
act under the law of action and reaction, as we do? 
Never. This, in fact, is the very notion of absolute 
being and power, that it acts without reaction, requir- 
ing no supports, living between no contrasts or antago- 
nisms. He simply IS, which contains everything. 
Does He, then, reason ? No ; for to reason in the active 
sense, as deducing one thing from another, implies a 
want of knowledge. Does He, then, deliberate? No; 
for He sees all conclusions without deliberation, intui- 
tively. Does He inquire? No; for He knows all 
things already. Does He remember? Never; for to 
remember is to call up what was out of mind. Does 
He believe? No; for the virtue He exercises is a 
virtue without faith, and radically distinct, in that 
view, from anything called virtue in us. Where, then, 
is God ; by what searching shall we find Him out ? By 
what sign shall He be known or conceived? Does He 
think? No, never, in any human sense of the term; 
for thought, with us, is only a finite activity under the 
law of succession and time ; and besides this, we have 
no other conception of it. Has He new emotions rising 
up, which, if we could see them rise, would show us 
that He is? No; emotion, according to our human 
sense, is a mere jet of feeling — one feeling moving out, 
just now, into the foreground before others; and this 
can be true only of a finite nature. God, in such a 
sense, certainly has no emotions. What, then, shall 
we say? What conception form of God as simply 
existing in Himself, and as yet unrevealed ? Only that 
He is the Absolute Being — the Infinite — the I Am that 
I Am, giving no sign that He is, only that He is." 



36 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

Is not that a shocking description of a living God? 
Infinite stagnation! No substantial form, not even a 
point in space; no activity. He neither reasons, nor 
deliberates, nor inquires, nor remembers, nor believes, 
nor thinks. "He simply IS, which contains every- 
thing." Is what? I would anxiously ask. A myth? 
an abstraction? a human idea? an imagination? a 
nothing? a nobody? Nothing more. Is it any won- 
der that men have doubted the existence of a God, of 
which the above might be a truthful description? 
After eliminating every fact by which all the essential 
existences of which we have any knowledge are charac- 
terized, what is there left that can constitute existence? 
what to challenge a rational faith? 

But we are told this represents God as He was before 
He revealed Himself in His works or in His Word. 
Indeed ! Then He is one thing, and has revealed Him- 
self to be another. The man who should do that would 
be called an impostor. I accept no such subterfuge. 
A revelation of God is a revelation of what He is; not 
a misleading representation of what He is not. Nor 
has He changed. What He is now, He was before the 
beginning; and what He was then, He is now. If 
His condition then was one of infinite stagnation, infi- 
nite nothingness, it is the same now, and will be the 
same eternally. The idea that God awoke suddenly to 
consciousness and activity from a Rip Van Winkle 
slumber of eternal ages, and has been an active, think- 
ing, feeling, willing Being ever since, can never satisfy 
my conception of the God I adore, love, and worship. 
Such a theory cannot be true. It is too revolting. It 
contradicts all the intuitions with which God has 
endowed us. 



MORE ABOUT GOD 37 

If, then, I do not accept this theory, which has evi- 
dently been for ages the popular one, my reader's very 
pertinent question will be, Can you give us a better 
one ? My answer is, I will try ; and whether I succeed 
or not, my readers shall themselves be the judges. 

My first proposition is, God neither changes nor 
represents Himself to be what He is not ; or was not at 
any former time; or will not be at any future time. 
God, as revealed in His works, in His Word, and in 
His Son Jesus Christ, is God, as He was, and is, and 
ever will be. This is what we are plainly taught both in 
God's works, and in His Word. Is not God's Word 
as reliable when it speaks of God as when it speaks of 
men? Why not? Passages of Scripture are numer- 
ous in which different organs of the body are attributed 
to God. These are usually understood as figurative, 
but for what reason I am unable to understand. We 
read that God made man in His own image and like- 
ness. If man is the image of God, he has the same 
form, for that is the meaning of image. If he is in 
His likeness, all the mental and spiritual faculties 
with which man is endowed are found in God, and 
enable man, in a finite degree, to do just such things as 
God does in an infinite degree. If it does not mean 
this, it means nothing at all. 

As evidence that this is its meaning, we find the limbs 
and organs of the human body, and the functions of the 
human mind, attributed to God throughout the Bible, 
from beginning to end ; and this too in His own lan- 
guage. He speaks of His face, right hand, left hand, 
arm, back, feet, eyes, ears, nostrils, mouth; His com- 
passion, kindness, long-suffering, forbearance, mercy, 
justice, anger, love. He sits upon a throne, high and 



38 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

lifted up, walks among His people, rides upon the 
heavens, and does many other such things as men do. 

What does all this mean? Are these simply empty, 
idle words? or are they the logical evidences that man 
is the image and likeness of God? We are constantly 
told these words attributing the organs, faculties, and 
acts of men to God, are anthropomorphisms. An- 
thropomorphisms ! Who said anthropomorphisms? 
Does the Bible call them anthropomorphisms? Has 
God anywhere intimated that they are anthropomor- 
phisms ? Is it not more rational to regard these as the 
particulars in which men are the image and likeness of 
God, than to suppose that they are attributed to God 
figuratively ? Read Psalm 94 : 9, "He that planted the 
ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall 
he not see ?" 

It is by means of these very statements that God has 
shown Himself to be a living, thinking, reasoning, plan- 
ning, acting, feeling, willing, person. With such a 
God I can form an acquaintance and hold converse. 
To Him I can tell my wants, my trials, my love. To 
His will I can submit my will, and realize that I am do- 
ing something ; and understand what I am doing. It is 
not imagination, fancy, or something I cannot com- 
prehend. God is just as real to me as Adam, or Abra- 
ham, or Moses, or David, or Jesus, His only begotten 
Son. I have not seen Him, but with this view of Him 
He is as really a living, active, reliable person as any 
man whom I have not seen. I have heard His voice 
in my soul. I have felt the influence of His presence 
over my life ; and the solemn fact, "Thou God seest me" 
has the power of a living witness over my most secret 
thoughts and most private conduct. When I held 



MORE ABOUT GOD 39 

those vague, mythical notions of Him this was not the 
case. To me then, as to most of the world to-day, God 
was nobody; now He is somebody. Where He dwells 
is my home. I love to sit by His side, and visit with 
Him. "In His presence is fulness of joy; at His right 
hand, there are pleasures forevermore." 

What do my judges say? Is not this a better idea 
of "Our Father" than that presented in the above 
quotation ? Reader, have you a personal acquaintance 
with Him? are you a filial member of His happy family? 
"Seek ye Jehovah while he may be found ; call ye upon 
him while he is near : let the wicked forsake his way, 
and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him 
return unto Jehovah, and he will have mercy upon him ; 
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." (Isa. 
55:6, 7.) 

Fully believing we have obtained a true, satisfactory, 
Scriptural, and unanswerable demonstration of the per- 
sonality of God, we are encouraged to open the inspired 
Word once more and with respectful reverence inquire 
still further respecting His mode of existence. 

I. What is God? Has He corporeity? If so, of 
what is He constituted? Did I hear some one say, 
Beware ! That is deep water. I am aware of that. 
No man ever attempted to fathom deeper ; but it is not 
fathomless. Come on. Fear not. So long as our 
feet stand upon solid bottom, and we do not go beyond 
our depth, there is no danger. I have no fear so long 
as I feel the Word of God as solid rock beneath my feet. 
"The Word of the Lord abideth forever;" and "the 
foundation of God standeth sure." He is a coward 
who dares not go forward where God has laid the pave- 
ment, and bids him trust himself upon it. 



40 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

Our inquiry is, What is the substance that constitutes 
the essential Being of Jehovah? This is a legitimate 
question, and its answer is within our reach. More- 
over it is important in the solution of many questions 
that many Bible students have pronounced unanswer- 
able. 

Since man is created a in the image and likeness of 
God," it is evident that everything in man, except his 
material body and sin, is a finite copy of the same thing 
in God. If you want to "look through nature up to 
nature's God," look through the nature of man, who is 
God's "image and likeness." 

Turn now to the Word. Leviticus 26 : 11, "My soul 
shall not abhor you." Judges 10 : 16, "My soul was 
grieved for the misery of Israel." Jeremiah 12 : 7, "I 
have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hands 
of her enemies." Ten times in the Old Testament I 
find the SOUL of God mentioned in similar language. 
This is positive testimony to my judgment that one of 
the constituent parts of the essential substance of God 
is SOUL. This is also one of the constituent parts of 
man. Do not utter that foolish, unscriptural word, 
anthropomorphism. I accept it not. When words 
are used by divine inspiration to acquaint us with the 
nature and constitution of God, why should we refuse 
to be instructed by claiming that they do not signify 
what they do in other connections? Did God create 
man a "living soul," in His own image and likeness, 
unless He was Himself a living soul ? To be convinced 
that the word is used in the same sense when referring 
to God as when referring to man, read Zechariah 11 : 8, 
"My soul was weary of them, and their soul also loath- 
ed me." We have, then, God's own words, uttered by 



MORE ABOUT GOD 41 

His own lips, that one of the constituent parts of His 
essence is SOUL. 

Another constituent element in the essence of God is 
SPIRIT. For this statement we have the most positive 
evidence possible. Jesus said to the Samaritan 
woman, John 4 : 24, "God is Spirit." If confirmation 
of this statement were needed, I could cite hundreds 
of passages, in both the Old Testament and the New, 
where "the Spirit of God" is mentioned, either by Him- 
self or others. The question, What is God in His 
constitution and essence is answered: God is SOUL 
and SPIRIT. 

This settles the question of corporeity; for, though 
spirits are invisible to the physical, material eye, they 
are seen with the spiritual eye. As on all other ques- 
tions of this nature, the Bible is my witness on this. 
Passages are numerous in which the corporeity of spir- 
itual beings must be understood and admitted. Turn 
first to John 14 : 2, 3, "In my Father's house are many 
mansions. ... I go to prepare a place for you. ... I 
will come again, and receive you unto myself; that 
where I am, there ye may be also." These are all spir- 
itual facts, referring to the spiritual life. Jesus, the 
speaker, at the time referred to, is no longer in the 
flesh; He is pure Spirit. The place He prepares is a 
spiritual place. The mansions are spiritual mansions. 
They are prepared for spiritual persons. The com- 
panionship mentioned is spiritual companionship. 
Will any one contend that there is no form, no substance 
in the "place" prepared— the "mansions?" Has Jesus, 
in His heavenly state, no form, no substance? Have 
the saints in heaven, "the spirits of just men made per- 
fect," no form, no substance? Such a hypothesis 



42 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

would be absurd in the highest degree. Passages are 
numerous in which the same fact is just as evident; 
but this is sufficient. 

If all other spiritual beings, in the heavenly life, have 
form and substance, can we find any reason for suppos- 
ing that God, who, like all the rest, is constituted of 
soul and spirit, has no form or substance? Such a 
supposition is inconsistent, absurd. It is one of the 
mistakes into which men have fallen in their specula- 
tions on God as infinite; but infinity necessitates no 
such thing. But, again we appeal to the Scriptures. 
"To the law and to the testimony! if they speak not 
according to this Word, surely there is no morning for 
them" (Isaiah 8:20). I am willing to remain in 
darkness respecting any question relating to God, if I 
can find no light upon it in His word. Now turn to 
Exodus 33. In the eighteenth verse we read, "And he 
(Moses) said, Show me, I pray thee, thy glory." 
Verses 20-23, "And he said, Thou canst not see my face; 
for no man shall see me and live." (If there was noth- 
ing to be seen, would God have made this statement?) 
"And Jehovah said, Behold, there is a place by me, and 
thou shalt stand upon the rock: and it shall come to 
pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in 
a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand 
until I have passed by ; and I will take away my hand, 
and thou shalt see my back; but my face shall not be 
seen." Is this fact or fiction? If fiction, was there 
no rock there? No Moses there? No God there? 
Did God cover Moses with His hand? Did Moses see 
anything? What is the Bible good for, if such a state- 
ment is not to be believed ? And what does the state- 



MORE ABOUT GOD 43 

ment mean, if God has no form, no substance, no hand, 
no face, no back? 

Isaiah 6 : 1-5 and Ezekiel 1 : 26-28 might be referred 
to as evidence of the substantial nature of spiritual 
objects both personal and impersonal ; but I pass them 
by, and call attention to the fourth and fifth chapters 
of the book of Revelation. Like Isaiah and Ezekiel 
and all who have ever seen spiritual objects, John was 
"in the spirit," which evidently means that his spiritual 
eyes were opened that he might see spiritual things; 
for our material senses take cognizance of material 
things only. John commences his account thus : "After 
these things, I saw, and behold, a door opened in heav- 
en;" and "straightway I was in the spirit." Of the 
objects that presented themselves to his spiritual sight, 
some of which are unknown to us in this world, the first 
that attracted his attention was "a throne set in heaven, 
and one sitting upon the throne." Passing by his 
description of the glorious appearance of the person on 
the throne, we read, "And they (the heavenly host) 
have no rest day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, is 
the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and 
who is to come." No one can doubt to whom this 
refers. He saw also one who was called "a Lamb," 
also "the Lion that is of the tribe of Judah." Respect- 
ing him the heavenly host sang, "Worthy art thou to 
take the book, and to open the seals thereof; for thou 
wast slain, and didst purchase unto God with thy blood 
men of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation, 
and madest them to be unto our God a kingdom and 
priests." No one can doubt who that was. He saw 
also "a hundred and forty and four thousand, sealed 
out of every tribe of the children of Israel." To these 



44 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

he adds, "After these things I saw, and behold, a great 
multitude, which no man could number, out of every 
nation and of all tribes and peoples and tongues, stand- 
ing before the throne and before the Lamb, arrayed in 
white robes, and palms in their hands; and they cry 
with a great voice, saying, Salvation unto our God who 
sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb." Once 
more he adds, "And I saw, and I heard a voice of many 
angels round about the throne ; and the number of them 
was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands 
of thousands ; saying with a great voice, Worthy is the 
Lamb that hath been slain to receive the power, and 
riches, and wisdom, and might, and honor, and glory, 
and blessing." All these intelligent beings were un- 
doubtedly of the same constitution as God Himself; 
namely, soul and spirit. This multitude that had been 
redeemed from the earth had left their material bodies 
to mingle with the dust of the earth whence they came, 
but retained soul and spirit. Of the constitution of 
the angels nothing is said, but it is reasonable to sup- 
pose that it is the same as all other spiritual beings. 
One thing is certain respecting them all; they have 
form and substance; though that substance is not mat- 
ter. There is no materialism here, but there is a 
spiritual substance, as tangible to the spiritual senses 
as matter is to the physical senses. Tndeed, I am 
frank to declare my belief that the future life — a spir- 
itual life, in the midst of spiritual surroundings — is 
more realistic than the life we are now living. "For 
now we see in a mirror, darkly ; but then face to face : 
now I know in part; but then shall I know fully even 
as also I was fully known." 

II. The next thing to be noticed respecting God is 



MORE ABOUT GOD 45 

His attributes. Of these there are two kinds — First, 
certain facts that belong to Him constitutionally, 
essential to His Being, as the self-existent, uncaused 
Cause of all things. These are usually called Natural 
Attributes. He has also certain qualities of character 
that are the result of voluntary choices. These are 
called Moral Attributes. This classification is correct; 
but the name given the first class is unfortunate, 
because it does not differentiate the one class from the 
other, and misleads the reader. Moral attributes are 
just as natural to God, just as much in accordance with 
His nature, as those that are constitutional and 
essential to His Being. To avoid this discrepancy, I 
propose that the first class be called Necessary Attri- 
butes, because they belong necessarily to the self- 
existent and infinite being that we call God, and whose 
personal name is Jehovah. Necessary is also the 
antithesis of voluntary. 

God's Necessary Attributes are the following : 

1. Self-existence. Having treated this subject 
already, it is only necessary to mention it here. 

2. Infinity. Since that which is self-existent is 
dependent on nothing for its existence, there is nothing 
to limit His potentialities except what is in itself 
impossible. 

3. Infinity necessitates unity. There can be but 
one infinite space, for there is no room for another. 
There can be but one infinite duration, for nothing can 
precede or follow that one. There can be but one 
infinite Person, because nothing could be found for 
another to do. 

4. Personality. This implies intelligence, self- 
consciousness, the consciousness of other things, and 



46 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

the power of intelligent speech. This has also been 
already treated, and needs only to be mentioned here. 

5. Intelligence. This attribute is based upon 
personality; and its existence is evident from the 
evidences of intelligent design in all His works; 
especially in the creation of intelligent beings. 

6. Omniscience. This attribute is based upon 
intelligence. He who by His intelligence originated, 
planned, and created all things, must know what He 
has done, what will be the consequences of all the 
agencies He has created, and the effects of all the causes 
He has caused to exist, working according to the law 
of cause and effect, that He has also ordained for their 
observance. This, however, is not all that is claimed 
for this attribute. It is often claimed that God knows 
not only what will transpire, according to the law of 
cause and effect, but that He knew from the beginning 
just what would be the course of conduct and the des- 
tiny of every moral agent who would ever have exist- 
ence, notwithstanding the fact that a moral agent con- 
trols and determines his own choices ; and may do this 
without regard to the reasonableness or unreasonable- 
ness of such choices. 

In determining this point, it seems to me we need 
only consider that God surely foreknows all possibil- 
ities; and is therefore prepared for all contingencies, 
which is the same practically as if He foreknew con- 
cretely all the choices each person would make. 

Should it be objected that God's expectations, plans, 
and purposes, in the creation of man might be thwarted 
by the unexpected and hostile choices and purposes of 
His creatures, it is sufficient to answer that the Infinite 
Mind is abundantly able to meet any and every 



MORE ABOUT GOB 47 

exigency that may arise from any such interference or 
antagonism on the part of the finite intelligences He 
has created. 

To express their idea on this point, men often say, 
"Everything is an eternal now with God." This ex- 
pression of the idea has given rise to another, "In the 
mind of God there is no such thing as succession." How 
could the idea of cause and effect, of antecedent and 
consequent, enter the mind of God without the thought 
of succession? "Eternal now" is eternal stagnation 
and eternal nonsense. 

7. Omnipresence. This means present in all places 
at all times. The doctrines that have been held and 
taught respecting this attribute also need revising. 
Omnipresence does not mean that God is infinitely 
large. "His center is everywhere, and His circum- 
ference nowhere," as I have often heard it expressed, 
is simply absurd, and shocking to reason and common 
sense. Such an idea is monstrous without dispute. 
"His presence fills immensity" is better; provided a 
clear discrimination is made between His presence and 
the dimensions of His person. God is n^t omnipresent 
in the sense that He is everywhere bodily, but that 
everything is in His presence. Nothing can be hidden 
from Him. The idea is easily illustrated. A 
teacher sits upon the rostrum in a schoolroom, and 
everything in the room is in his presence. If that 
teacher could read the thoughts, intentions, and 
motives of each pupil, and know without effort every- 
thing that transpired in the room, we would have a 
miniature representation of the Omnipresence of God 
in the universe. The teacher does not fill the 
schoolroom, but everything in the room is in his pres- 



48 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

ence. So God does not fill infinite space, but every- 
thing in space is in His presence. 

No one, we think, will dispute that this representa- 
tion of God's Omnipresence corresponds with and is sus- 
tained by His Word. Read the 139th Psalm, and see 
if that wonderfully realistic description of the Omni- 
presence of God, and the impossibility of escaping His 
notice does not correspond exactly with the view here 
presented. "Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? or 
whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend 
up into heaven, thou art there; if I make my bed in 
Sheol, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of 
the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the 
sea, even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right 
hand shall hold me. If I say, surely the darkness 
shall overwhelm me, and the light about me shall be 
night ; even the darkness hideth not from thee, but the 
night shineth as the day. The darkness and the light 
are both alike to thee." Luke 1 : 19, "I am Gabriel 
that stand in the presence of God." When John saw 
"one sitting upon the throne," he saw also "round 
about the throne four and twenty thrones; and upon 
the thrones four and twenty elders sitting." These 
were in the presence of God. Distance does not hinder 
God's presence any more than darkness hinders His 
sight. This is the only rational, common-sense view 
of the Omnipresence of God. 

Some one may say, If God is located somewhere, 
where is it? Where is the throne on which He sits? 
Where does He hold His royal court; surrounded by 
the angels that do always behold His face? and are 
always in His presence? My answer is, I do not know. 
There must be a center of this universe somewhere; 



MORE ABOUT GOD 49 

it may be there. Since the vast universe revolves 
around a central point, what thought more natural or 
probable than that that center is the throne of the 
Creator? 

8. Omnipotence. This is power or ability to do 
whatever can be done. This power or ability is in the 
will. "He spake, and it was done. He commanded, 
and it stood fast." Whatever He can effect by an act 
of His will comes legitimately under the head of His 
Omnipotence. This includes not only ability to create, 
but ability to plan; to organize matter through the 
agency of physical law; to determine the constituent 
elements of each organism; to give existence to the 
centripetal and centrifugal forces by which the revolu- 
tions of the heavenly bodies are governed; to differen- 
tiate the innumerable orders and varieties of animal 
and vegetable life; to endow spiritual substances, as 
soul and spirit, with powers similar to His own; 
namely, to think, to feel, to will; thus constituting 
man a moral agent, a responsible and accountable 
person. Such are the functions of Omnipotence. 
Wonderful attribute ! 

But wonderful, broad, inclusive as it is, it has, or 
appears to have, limitations. There are things that 
Omnipotence cannot do. It cannot make truths of the 
same order contradictory to one another. Three dol- 
lars cannot be one dollar. Three persons cannot be 
one person. Another limitation of Omnipotence is 
found in the constitution of a moral agent. In creat- 
ing a moral agent, a person who can be held accounta- 
ble for his conduct, God has endowed the creature with 
a freedom of will equal to that possessed by Himself, 
so far as independence of action is concerned. It is no 



50 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

irreverence to say, The Almighty cannot coerce the will 
of man. Every man is conscious of his ability to resist 
and defy the will of God. It matters not what direful 
consequences may impend ; how dreadful to the thought, 
how painful to the feelings, how torturing to the flesh, 
how maddening to the conscience ; the will, that is the 
soul in the exercise of its choice, may still maintain 
an attitude of resistance, defiance, insubordination. 
The will of a moral agent cannot be coerced. 

The Moral Attributes of God can be understood only 
in His relations with other moral agents. Their treat- 
ment must, therefore, be deferred until after the crea- 
tion of man. 

III. Names and titles of God. The proper name, 
the "memorial name," announced by God himself to 
Moses, Exodus 3 : 15, as significant of His nature, is 
JEHOVAH — the self-existent One; "I am because I 
am" Unfortunately, as I think, this name has fallen 
into disuse ; for, to my mind, the great contrast between 
the self-existent One and the other gods that men have 
worshiped should be emphatically present in the mind 
of the reader of the Jewish history. For reasons that 
seem to me not well understood, whether from rever- 
ence or tearfulness, the Jews never pronounced this 
name, but substituted the name adonai — my Lord — ■ 
when reading passages in which this word is found. 
In all the English translations, except the American 
"Standard," the word is rendered Lord, and printed in 
small capitals, thus obscuring the force of its signifi- 
cance. The American revisers were the first to insert 
the name Jehovah in the text, an act for which they 
deserve the thanks of every Bible reader. 

The word GOD indicates an object of worship; and 



MOKE ABOUT GOD 51 

is properly applied to all objects that are worshiped. 
The word Lord indicates a Ruler. The Almighty 
expresses supreme power ; and The Most High expresses 
supreme exaltation above all others. In reading the 
Bible the reader needs to have these discriminations 
in mind. 

I am not in the habit of indulging in speculations on 
these great questions, nor do I ever indulge in them 
unless I think I have a good, logical reason for my 
supposition. There is a question, however, connected 
with this period of eternal existence tnat, I presume, 
has arisen in the mind of every person who has ever 
made a study of the existence and works of God. That 
question is this: — Since there was a beginning, and 
since God had no beginning, what was God doing, or 
what was His condition before the beginning? 

In speculating upon this question, if it must be called 
speculating, we will begin by referring again to the 
fact that man was made in the likeness of God. It 
seems never to occur to some people that God is like 
men in every particular in which men are like God. 
Let no man say, "This is degrading God to a level 
with man." The Word says, "Thou hast made him 
but little lower than God." Instead of degrading God 
to compare Him with men, it exalts Him infinitely 
above the common conception of eternal stagnation, 
doing all His wonderful works, even to giving existence 
to the immortal spirit, like the brutes, from instinct, 
without thought, plan, or purpose. It is fully time the 
silly, unnatural, unreasonable, illogical notion that 
God, because He is infinite in His nature, is nobody, 
does nothing, "simply IS," was dropped. 

The point of resemblance to which we want to refer 



52 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

now is this : Men do nothing without a plan. No man 
ever took up a tool to make something, no matter how 
simple, or engage in any undertaking, without having 
a definite idea of what he was going to make and how 
he would do it. Did God make man entirely unlike 
Himself in this respect? Of course I shall be told, 
God knew instinctively just what He would make, and 
how He would make it. He was infinitely wise. My 
reply is, Infinite Wisdom means no such thing. In- 
stinct is not wisdom. Infinite Wisdom is wisdom to 
plan and execute an infinite undertaking. Nor does 
the theory I present conflict in any degree or respect 
with the undisputed fact that God is infinite in all His 
attributes. Each attribute has its own realm of activ- 
ity, and reasons for its infinity. God is infinite in 
knowledge because He knows everything He has done, 
and everything He can do. He is infinite in fore- 
knowledge, because He knows the consequences of all 
the causes He has caused to exist. He is infinite in 
reason, because His infinite knowledge supplies Him 
with all the facts that have a bearing upon the matter 
in hand; and these being all included in the premises, 
with an unerring logical form of argument, His con- 
clusions are infallible. Thus, in all His activities, 
each function is infinite in its own sphere. 

The amount of forethought necessary to form a plan 
will always correspond with the magnitude of the 
undertaking. Some of the works of man have required 
years of profound thought and calculation, and have 
been rough and imperfect when completed. God's 
preconceived plan of the universe and everything per- 
taining to it, was complete and perfect, not only in its 
great framework, but in its minutest detail, working 



MORE ABOUT GOD 53 

perfectly on its first trial. Such is the work of the 
infinite mind. Think for a moment of some of the 
problems connected with this wonderful cosmos*, that 
have been discovered by the finite human mind. Think 
first of the natural proclivity of each of the atoms out 
of which all things are made — the attractions and re- 
pulsions that cause the combinations that are manifest 
in every material thing with which we are acquaintea\ 
Then think of the different kinds of material that enter 
into and constitute the different objects by which we 
are surrounded — the metals for instance, or the pebbles 
beneath our feet. Then think of the earth ; then of the 
solar system, with all its laws, forces, attractions, and 
repulsions; the axial and orbital revolutions of the 
planets, and the climatic effects of their individual 
constructive peculiarities. Then think of the perfect 
equilibrium of centripetal and centrifugal forces that 
carries the planets through their orbits age after age 
without collision or the variation of an instant of time. 
Then think of the myriads of such systems that consti- 
tute the cosmos. Then stretch your imagination once 
more and think of the whole universe constituting one 
vast, grand system of the same perfect order and pre- 
cision ; the immense whole revolving around one center 
(the throne of God?), each orb rushing through space 
at a rate of speed the very thought of which is abso- 
lutely appalling. 

Ask the mightiest mathematician what must have 
been the genius of the mathematical mind that, before 
a particle of matter was created, had so balanced all 
the forces He intended to set in operation, so perfectly 
weighed each atom and each orb, no two of which 
should be of the same size or weight, so nicely adjusted 



54 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

each to the invisible influences of the whole, that He 
could locate the center of each orb in space, establish 
the distances between them, and determine the amount 
of matter that should gravitate to each center, and the 
velocity of each on its axis and through space, so per- 
fectly that the whole should constitute the most perfect 
chronometer conceivable, and continue its mighty 
whirl through space during the ages of eternity with- 
out a collision, or the variation of an instant of time. 

Then come back to earth and study the mysteries of 
life — vegetable and animal. Commencing with the 
lowest form of vegetable life, note carefully each step 
of the upward grade until you reach the most highly 
organized man — material, mental, and spiritual; then 
ask yourself if it is inconsistent to suppose that it may 
have required ages of most careful and ingenious study, 
even of the infinite mind, to foresee and foreordain all 
these interdependencies and immortal and eternal 
interests. 

Once more. Consider the wonders of the human 
soul; its intellectual powers of thought, reason, imagi- 
nation ; its fathomless billows of emotion ; its Heaven- 
defying independence of will; its wonderful develop- 
ment from the embryonic state of infancy to a mighty 
manhood, "with Atlantean shoulders, fit to bear the 
weight of mightiest monarchies," and solve problems 
whose answers touch the boundaries of the eternal ages. 
Was all this (and all this is but the faintest imaginable 
hint of the stupendous plan) the impulse of a moment, 
without a forethought, after an eternity of stupid 
inactivity and nothingness, or any thought at all, or 
any activity of any kind? Tell it not. I do not be- 
lieve it. I cannot worship such a god. I would 



MORE ABOUT GOD 55 

rather be a Chinaman, and worship my ancestors. 
They were somebody, and could do something. 

Charge me not with irreverence. I revere the God 
who "made heaven and earth, and all that in them is ;" 
who a spake and it was done; commanded and it stood 
fast." I adore Him for what He is in His essence. I 
love Him for what He has done, and is still doing. I 
praise Him for the moral virtues He has acquired by 
His moral choices. To me He is no myth, no idea of 
emptiness and nothingness; but a living, real, loving 
Father. Jesus is to me no more an "elder brother," 
a real, personal Savior and friend, than is the Creator 
my Father, and the Father of us all. Everything 
within me assures me this is the true idea of the living 
God. 

I have just one thought more respecting God, during 
that before-the-beginning period; a thought that may 
be more repulsive to the unthinking devotee of every- 
thing that has become "time-honored" than what I have 
just advanced. There is one universal feature of 
nature, pervading all things, from the simplest chemical 
combination to the highest development of intelligence 
and moral character, that may possibly be designed to 
suggest a fact respecting Him who has incorporated it 
into all His works. That fact is growth, development, 
progress. The great cosmos itself is a growth; and 
everything in it or pertaining to it, except the atoms 
out of which all material things are formed, and the 
life principle in the vegetable and animal kingdoms, is 
the product of evolution. Is it not possible that this 
may also be the case with the infinite Being we call 
God? If this universal fact does not point in that 



56 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

direction, to what does it direct attention? On this 
point I affirm nothing. I simply raise the question. 

It is not long ago that men of the highest scientific 
attainments had no other idea of the creation than that 
everything was spoken into existence in an instant by 
the creative fiat, just as we find it at the present time, 
with the exception, of course, of the superficial changes 
men have wrought for their own personal convenience. 
At that creative moment, and by the fiat of the Creator, 
the different strata of the earth's crust were laid in 
order, just as they are now found; seashells were im- 
bedded in the mountain ranges, miles above the bed of 
the ocean ; skeletons of extinct animals were hidden in 
the mire; coal-beds were formed in the bowels of the 
earth; gold, silver, precious metals, and jewels were 
deposited just where they lie to-day; oceans existed 
from that very moment, the waste from evaporation 
being supplied by the influx of rivers; aDd pebbles and 
boulders that are now known to have been brought from 
great distances by glacial agency, were supposed to 
have been created just where they were found. 

How ridiculous and absurd all this seems now; yet 
many of these ideas have been forced out of the minds 
of men by the investigations and progress of a single 
century. As the past century has witnessed such an 
advance in knowledge of the material universe, may 
we not reverently hope that the present century will 
attain a clearer, higher, more exalted, rational, and 
realistic knowledge of Him who conceived the wondrous 
plan and carried it into effect through the agency of 
wonderful evolutions by which the world has reached 
the state in which we now find it ? 

The errors that once existed respecting the natural 



MORE ABOUT GOD 57 

sciences, errors respecting the nature of man, errors 
respecting the true meaning of history, errors respect- 
ing moral agency and the nature of the moral govern- 
ment of intelligent and accountable beings; nearly all 
the errors that have been held both by scientists and 
theologians have had their origin and foundation in 
ignorance of God. Men have hesitated to make a care- 
ful and thorough study of the infinite God from two 
considerations : a blind reverence for His majesty and 
a false notion of their own incompetency. The depre- 
catory inquiry of Zophar (Job 11: 7), "Canst thou by 
searching find out God? canst thou find out the 
Almighty to perfection?" has been an effectual barrier 
against study and inquiry in this most sacred, and at 
the same time most important field of inquiry and thor- 
ough, reverent investigation. Fail not to "put thy 
shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou 
standest is holy ground;" but hold your position, and 
continue your investigation, as Moses did ; remembering 
God has said, "Come, let us reason together ;" and Jesus 
prayed, "This is life eternal, that they should know 
thee, the only true God, and him whom thou didst send, 
even Jesus Christ." The prayer of Moses (Ex. 33 : 13) , 
"Show me now thy ways, that I may know thee, to the 
end that I may find favor in thy sight," should be the 
earnest prayer of every person, who has any dealings 
with or regard for Him whom we call "Our Father." 
Let me repeat here, at the close of this discussion, what 
I said at the beginning, "We need have no fear nor 
hesitation in inquiring into the nature, essence, consti- 
tution, attributes, motives, and methods of God. There 
is nothing about Him that He is unwilling we should 
know ; and the more we know of Him, the more we shall 



58 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

revere Him, the more perfectly shall we love Him, and 
the more intelligently and acceptably shall we be able 
to serve Him." Reader, "Acquaint thyself with Him, 
and be at peace." 



CHAPTER III 



THE BEGINNING 



SINCE space, eternity, and the self-existent Jeho- 
vah are the only existences that never had 
beginning, it follows that all other existences of 
which we have any knowledge must have had beginning. 
Prompted by this thought, the most natural inquiry to 
an inquiring mind is, What was the first thing brought 
into existence? What was the first executive act of 
the uncaused Cause, of which we have any knowledge? 
This is another question whose answer can be found 
nowhere but in the inspired Word. If knowledge of 
that fact is within the reach of any finite mind, it has 
been placed there by the only Being in the universe who 
knew anything about it. Once more "to the law and 
the testimony." 

The inspired Word contains two statements on this 
point that are given us for our study. Let us examine 
them. In Genesis 1 : 1 we read, "In the beginning God 
created the heavens and the earth." In John 1 : 1 we 
read, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word 
was with God, and the Word was God." Is this 
"beginning" the same as "the beginning" mentioned in 
Genesis 1:1? Let us see. Read John 1 : 3, "All 
things were made through him (the Word) ; and with- 
out him was not anything made that hath been made." 



60 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

Read now John 1 : 14, "And the Word became flesh, 
and dwelt among ns." This was Jesus?, our Savior. 
Now, what does He say upon this question? In a 
prayer to His Father, recorded John 17 : 5, He uses 
this language, "And now, Father, glorify thou me with 
thine own self with the glory which I had with thee 
before the world (cosmos) was;" and John 17:24, 
"Thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world 
(cosmos)." Now, since the Word had glory with the 
Father before the creation of the heavens and the 
earth, it is evident that "the beginning" mentioned in 
John 1 : 1 antedates "the beginning" mentioned in 
Genesis 1:1. This gives us a clue to some most inter- 
esting and important facts respecting this Word, that 
we will notice. 

1. This Word was not simply a spoken word. John 
says, "the Word was with God;" and a spoken word 
cannot with any propriety be said to be "with" the 
person speaking it. Some truth lies hidden in this 
language that does not appear on its surface. Look a 
little further. Lest the reader should fail to observe 
that fact, and fail to discover the hidden truth, John 
adds, verse 2, "The same was in the beginning with 
God." This statement, interpreted by the words of 
Jesus quoted above, makes it certain that "the Word" 
was a distinct, self-conscious, self-determining person ; 
an intelligent companion and associate of the infinite, 
self-existent Jehovah. 

2. Infinity, that indisputably belongs to Jehovah, 
necessitates unity. One infinite space fills immensity; 
there is no room for another. One infinite duration 
comprehends eternity; another is impossible. Is it 
not just as evident that one infinite personal intelli- 



THE BEGINNING 61 

gence renders another infinite intelligent person impos- 
sible? The conclusion, then, is inevitable. The intelli- 
gent personal Word, who was "with God" in the 
beginning, was neither infinite nor eternal. 

Now, my dear reader, at this point I want a little 
private talk with you. Do not throw yourself back in 
an attitude of stubborn resistance, and say, I do not 
believe that ; it is heresy. Think one moment. If you 
understand addition well enough to know that one and 
one make two, you must know that the personal Jeho- 
vah is one person, and that the personal Word is an- 
other person ; and that hence, these make two persons ; 
and that they cannot both be infinite. As the offspring 
of the Infinite Father (a fact that we will prove pres- 
ently), this Son was pure, unadulterated divinity in 
His nature and constitution, and necessarily incon- 
ceivably superhuman. In the perspective of personal, 
intelligent beings, with human nature as "the point of 
sight," we see Him only in the field of infinity. As 
the planets of our solar system, seen from the earth, 
seem to lie in the same field of space as the stars of the 
zodiac, though the distance between them is inconceiv- 
able, so the pre-existent Son seems to be infinite. We 
see Him in the same field with the Infinite Father. 
Practically He is the same to us as though He were 
infinite ; but He is not infinite. Truths are all parallel. 
Such is the unity of all God's works, including His 
Word; such the symmetry of His entire plan — compre- 
hending the material, the intellectual, and the spiritual ; 
that no truth can contradict, or clash with another. 
There are no head-on or rear-end collisions on the line 
on which God is running His trains; neither does He 
run His trains on lines that cross one another. 



62 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

3. The third statement of John respecting this most 
important personage is, "The Word was God." Of the 
three fundamentally important statements made by 
John in this most important text in the New Testament, 
this short sentence, the most important of the three, 
has been most misunderstood and misused. As it 
stands in the original, as John wrote it, it involves more 
important grammatical principles, and requires more 
careful study to ascertain its true meaning, than any 
other sentence of its size I have ever found. 

In the Greek we read, Theos (God) en (was) ho 
(the) logos (Word) ; rendered in English, "The Word 
was God." This translation is grammatically correct; 
still it does not convey to the reader the exact meaning 
of the original. It is usually understood, and very 
naturally according to the usage of our language, The 
personal Word was the personal God. This is a very 
misleading and perplexing mistake. The personal 
Word who was "with God," cannot be the personal God 
with whom He was. It is useless to call an impossi- 
bility a "mystery;" and insist that it shall be believed 
on pain of being called a heretic. Since, however, the 
impossibility has been claimed as truth ; and taught by 
high authorities as "orthodox," it demands our most 
careful and candid study. The truth will be found by 
noticing the difference between the English language 
and the Greek, in the use of the article. 

The Greek has but one article ; and that is emphatic- 
ally a definite article. The absence of this article is, 
therefore, as significant as its presence. This is espe- 
cially the case in its use or omission before the word 
Theos in the New Testament. The presence of the 
article indicates definitely the personal Jehovah; while 



THE BEGINNING 63 

its absence diverts attention from the personality, and 
directs it to the nature of the subject; the predicate 
noun often performing the office of an adjective. Had 
John written Ho Theos en ho logos — The God was the 
Word — either Theos or logos would be the subject and 
the other the predicate; and we might translate, The 
personal God was the personal Word, or The personal 
Word was the personal God. That would have justi- 
fied the "mystery," and left us in inextricable perplex- 
ity; but he did not so write. He wrote Theos en ho 
logos. The absence of the article before Theos indi- 
cates both that it is the grammatical predicate of the 
sentence, and that it is generic instead of personal in 
its signification. It means that the personal Word 
was of the same nature, essence, substance, as the 
Supreme and Infinite God — His Father. The Word, 
the pre-existent Son, was deiform, divine, of the same 
nature, essence, substance as His Father. In reading 
this clause, accent the last word — The Word was God. 
Now, let us read the whole verse once more, giving in 
paraphase just what we believe was the meaning John 
intended to put into the words when he wrote them : — 
In the beginning was the personal Word; and the per- 
sonal Word was with the personal God; and the 
personal Word wus divine. 

HOW CAME HE THERE? 

Since there can be but one self-existent person, and 
since we have found another person "with God," the 
next inquiry must naturally be, Where did the second 
person come from? and how came He there as a com- 
panion of the Infinite One? 

Again I hear the voice of warning: — Beware! Be- 



64 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

ware ! ! says my cautious, conservative, reverent reader ; 
you are leading us into deep waters! I am aware of 
that; but hear me. I believe "Our Father" has 
ordained such a relationship between the reason of His 
intelligent creatures and truth, that no rational inquiry 
will ever arise in any finite mind, to which He has not 
given an answer in His works, in His Word, or in 
human experiences. Imbued with this faith, when I 
find myself led into deep waters by my inquisitiveness, 
I seize fast hold of the hand of Him who walked safely 
on the boisterous waters of the sea of Galilee, and dare 
to follow where He chooses to lead ; hoping to be more 
successful than Peter was, who began to sink for lack 
of faith. 

Still further; when my reason faces a great inquiry 
of this kind, I assume that the answer is somewhere; 
and that it is the pleasure of "Our Father" that I 
should find it, if I can. Hence, I search for it earnest- 
ly, candidly, diligently, confidently, persistently; 
looking with unshaken faith to Him who has promised, 
"The Spirit of truth shall guide you into all truth." 
With this confidence, we will proceed carefully, can- 
didly, reverently, to find God's answer to this inquiry. 
Here again the Bible must be our authority. Only 
the Father and the Son know anything about it. The 
Son has given it through His "beloved disciple," to 
whom He evidently unbosomed Himself, and revealed 
everything we know concerning the facts of His pre- 
existence. So this is one case at least of "verbal 
inspiration." Turn to John 16 : 27, 28, "The Father 
himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have 
believed that I came forth from the Father. I came 
out from the Father, and am come into the world." 



THE BEGINNING 65 

This is another passage whose full meaning is not 
expressed in the rendering, and we mnst resort to the 
Greek to obtain it. Verse 27 reads, "Ego (I) para tou 
patros (from the Father) exelthon (came forth)." 
The meaning of this language depends upon the usage 
of the prepositions para and ek; the latter found here 
in composition with elthon. The radical meaning of 
para is "by the side of, near by;" but when followed 
by a genative of a person it indicates "the source, 
author, director, from which anything proceeds." This 
usage is well illustrated in Luke 6 : 19, "All the multi- 
tude sought to touch him, for power went forth from 
him (para autou)." The power, of course, "went 
forth" out of His person ; not simply from beside Him. 
So that this verse, when fully understood, means, "I 
came forth out of the person of the Father." But this 
is not all. The radical meaning of the preposition ek, 
found here in composition with elthon, is out of. Add- 
ing the force of ek to the meaning of para, we may read, 
"I came out, out of the person of the Father" This 
would seem to be sufficient to make the meaning of 
Jesus plain and clear; but He, apparently conscious 
that men would be unwilling to receive the doctrine, 
made it still more emphatic by adding, verse 28, 
"exelthon ek tou patros" — "I came out, out of the 
Father," using the preposition ek both in composition 
with elthon and alone as a preposition. This repetition 
of "out of," as contrasted with "from the presence of," 
makes it impossible to mistake Jesus' meaning as to 
His origin. The Father brought His Son into a sepa- 
rate personal existence, out of His own person. He 
drought forth a Son. In the nature of this Son there 
was no relationship with, nor admixture of, any other 



6$ THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

nature, essence, or substance than the Father's. He 
was purely and wholly divine. 

4. Since "The Word became flesh, and dwelt among 
us" (John 1 : 14) , the great fact stated and proved above 
must settle forever the question of the divine nature of 
Jesus, that Son of God and the son of Mary ; "who was 
born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and 
declared to be the Son of God with power, according to 
the spirit of holiness" (Komans 1:4). By "the Word 
became flesh" we are not to understand that the per- 
sonal Word, the pre-existent Son, was transmuted 
literally into flesh ; but, as we read, Hebrews 10 : 5, "a 
body didst thou prepare for me." Thus His mortal 
body was of the seed of David ; but His soul and spirit 
— the intellectual and spiritual Son of God — was the 
Word that existed with the Father before the world 
was. Strange as these facts are, having occurred but 
once in all the works of God, there are no facts, con- 
cerning any other man who ever lived upon the face of 
the earth, so positively authenticated, and upon so high 
authority, as these. 

5. Not only is the divine nature of Jesus, the son 
of Mary, established beyond reasonable question by the 
above argument, but every work wrought by Him, and 
the masterly wisdom shown in all His wonderful teach- 
ing, are substantial evidences of the same. We may 
bear in mind also that the work of creation was effected 
through Him ; the work of redemption assigned to Him ; 
and the work of the final judgment yet awaits His 
service. From His Father He inherited the natural 
ability to perform all these great works, and by His 
Father He was endowed with authority to perform 
them. The Father planned all things, and committed 



THE BEGINNING 67 

the entire execution of His plan to the Word — His Son. 
Creative power resides in the Father alone; executive 
ability resides in the Son also; which He employs by 
authority of the Father, and under His direction. All 
this was clearly revealed to us by the Son when here 
upon the earth, engaged in the work of redemption. 
He performed His miraculous works in His own name; 
but what does He say about it, "All things have been 
delivered unto me of my Father" (Matthew 11:27). 
"All authority hath been given unto me, in heaven and 
on earth" (Matthew 28: 18). "The Father loveth the 
Son, and hath given all things into his hand" (John 
3:35). "Thou gavest him authority over all flesh" 
(John 17:21). "The Son can do nothing of himself, 
but what he seeth the Father doing: for what things 
soever He doeth, these the Son also doeth. in like man- 
ner. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him 
all things that himself doeth" (John 5: 19, 20). "As 
the Father hath life in himself, even so gave he to the 
Son also to have life in himself" (John 5: 26). 

God may perform miracles through the instrumen- 
tality of any man or any creature He has made. He 
opened the mouth of the ass, and she rebuked Baalam ; 
did wonderful works by the hand of Moses, the proph- 
ets, and the apostles ; but there is not another person in 
the wide universe who, in his own native ability, is 
capable of doing such works; or who can truthfully 
make such statements about himself, as this first 
offspring of the Infinite Essence and the Infinite Will; 
who was "in the beginning" at the beginning, and the 
beginning itself. 



68 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

HIS APPROPRIATE NAME 

The most pronounced characteristic of every act of 
the Creator of all things is utility. A benevolent 
motive prompts every act. He announced His own 
personal name Jehovah from the burning bush, 
calling it His "memorial name," that men in all ages 
of the world should recognize His self-existence, and 
everything implied in it. Thus, the first name of this 
first product of His Will, indicating the meaning and 
object of this first executive act of which we have any 
knowledge, is THE WORD. 

A word is the symbol of a thought, the expression of 
an idea. It is a medium of communication between 
personal intelligences, all of whom understand the same 
sign for the same thought. God has given us an illus- 
tration of both these facts in this first name given to 
His Son. "No man hath seen God at any time; the 
only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, 
he hath declared him." As a spoken word expresses 
the thought, idea, wish, purpose, of the speaker, so the 
Son, who is the bosom confidant of the Father, "the 
effulgence of his glory, and the very image of his sub- 
stance," has in His life and teachings, the whole con- 
summated in His death, and divinely attested by His 
resurrection, so revealed the nature, love, and attitude 
of the Father toward His rebellious children-subjects, 
that we may, can, ought to know Him — "the only true 
God, and Jesus Christ, whom He sent into the world" 
for that purpose, as clearly, intelligently, understand- 
ing^, as we understand the thought conveyed to our 
minds through the words of our native tongue. 



CHAPTER IV 



CREATION AND EVOLUTION 



THE two persons in the Godhead represent the 
two forces employed in the creation and 
formation of the universe and everything per- 
taining to it. Originative and creative power is 
found only in the Father. Evolving, formative power, 
by the supreme authority of the Father, is exercised by 
the Word— the Son. Psalm 33 : 6, "By the Word of 
Jehovah were the heavens made." John 1 : 3, "All 
things were made through him," the Word. The fact 
stated in both these passages is that all things were 
made, not created, through the agency of the personal 
Word, by delegated, not inherent, power; or, at least, 
authority. He, the Word, was not the Creator of the 
matter out of which the heavens were made, nor the 
Architect who devised the plan, but He was the Builder, 
who erected the stupendous structure, after the plan 
furnished Him by the Architect, and by the exercise of 
power with which He was endowed by the Father. This 
is the plain import of these and all other passages, 
where the work of bringing chaotic matter into cosmic 
order is attributed to the Word. 

This method of accomplishing His purposes is found 
in every department of God's work. The Father plans 
all things, and commits the execution of His plans to 



70 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

His Son. The Father is the Supreme Deity; the Son 
is the Executive Deity. In the New Testament both 
are called God; in the Old Testament both are called 
Jehovah. This extraordinary usage is explained in 
Hebrews 1:4, 8, 9, "Having become by so much better 
than the angels, as he hath inherited a more excellent 
name than they .... but of the Son he saith, Thy throne, 
O God, is for ever and ever .... Thou hast loved right- 
eousness and hated iniquity; therefore God, thy God, 
hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy 
fellows." These facts and these quotations agree so 
perfectly together that no one need hesitate a moment 
to adopt the language of Philip, "My Lord and my 
God !" This peculiar co-partnership and cooperation 
will become more apparent and more clearly apprehend- 
ed as we proceed with the work of creation, providence, 
redemption, and judgment; all of which are accom- 
plished in the same manner, through the same agent. 

THE SECOND BEGINNING 

We now come to the beginning referred to in Genesis 
1 : 1, "In the beginning God created." At this time 
(we may speak of time now, which is a portion of dura- 
tion, located in the midst of eternity) we find in exist- 
ence space, in which is located the cosmos; duration 
for its evolution; God, its infinite and intelligent Cause 
— the Designer, and creative Deity ; the personal Word 
— the Son; and that peculiar, magnetic agency, power, 
influence, called the "Spirit of God," which belongs in 
common to the Father and the Son. Add to these the 
wondrous plan, drawn out in the minutest detail, and 
we have all things ready for "the beginning" of the 
creation. 



CREATION AND EVOLUTION 71 

First creative fiat. The auspicious moment has 
come for the first creative fiat. "He spake, and it was 
done" (Psalm 33:9). In an instant infinite space 
was filled with "world dust" — the atoms of which the 
worlds were made. Causing these atoms to exist was 
a creative act ; bringing them into orbs, as we now find 
them, was formative — the work of incalculable eons of 
evolution, under the brooding of the Spirit of God 
(Genesis 1:2), through the superintendence of the 
personal Word, employing the organic forces, attraction 
and repulsion, ordained by the divine Will for that pur- 
pose. 

A MATHEMATICAL PROBLEM 

At this point we are brought face to face with a 
mathematical achievement, that must forcibly impress 
every reflecting mind with the superiority of the infinite 
over the finite intelligence. It must not be passed 
without notice. This almost unlimited mass of gaseous 
matter is to be condensed into almost innumerable 
orbs, no two of which shall be of the same size, 
weight, or power of attraction ; located at inconceivable 
and diverse distances from one another; each orb hav- 
ing an axial and orbital revolution of inconceivable 
velocity, hanging free in space, and controlled solely by 
centrifugal and centripetal forces; in a state of such 
perfect equilibrium that the mighty whirl goes on 
through endless ages without a collision or the variation 
of an instant of time. 

The problem is, at what distances, and how related 
with one another, shall the centers of these great orbs 
be located; and how shall this chaotic mass of matter 
be so divided into suns, planets, satellites, and comets, 



72 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

that the perfect equilibrium shall never be disturbed, 
and the whole cosmic order shall never fall into colli- 
sion and destruction? Here is a problem in mathe- 
matics to which all the mathematicians of earth must 
surrender; but it constituted one of the items of the 
wondrous plan of the universe, and was solved by the 
Infinite Mind before the first creative fiat was uttered, 
without previous experiment or working model. Will 
any mortal, in the face of such facts as these, deny the 
existence of a Supreme Intelligence? Will any one 
claim such a masterly achievement to be a mere chance? 
Can it be possible that there was ever a mathematical 
astronomer who said, "I have searched the whole 
heavens with my telescope, and can find no God?" Is 
it not fitting that the location of these centers should 
be regarded as a second creative fiat, though no mention 
of it is found in the first chapter of Genesis ? It is an 
event that cannot be conceived of as effected by evolu- 
tion ; a problem that no finite mind could solve. 

EONS OF EVOLUTION 

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the 
earth." The testimony of the heavens and the earth 
must be taken as incontrovertable evidence that incon- 
ceivable ages of evolution must be understood between 
the word created and the word earth in this statement. 
Let us also understand that the records found in the 
crust of the earth, as revealing how the material uni- 
verse was "made," must be our standard of truth on 
that point, regardless of any statement found in the 
Bible. Of course, both must be first correctly inter- 
preted. When this is done, if any discrepancy is found 
(a very doubtful hypothesis), the Bible must yield the 



CREATION AND EVOLUTION 73 

ground. The Bible has passed through the minds and 
hands of fallible men, and many of them ; but the facts 
and laws that are found in the crust of the earth are 
the handwriting of God Himself — "the footprints of the 
Creator." They are written in a language that all can 
read and understand. Neither translation nor com- 
mentary is necessary. Let us read both understand- 
ing^, and we shall find the truth. 

"let there be light" 

The production of light should not be regarded as a 
creative event. Of course, it was willed by the Crea- 
tor, and was a part of the wondrous plan; but it is 
easily explained by the laws of chemical combinations 
and the motion of the atoms of matter as they were 
drawn together around the world centers. Chemists 
have long been acquainted with the conditions of spon- 
taneous combustion ; and it has long been an admitted 
fact that light is motion; and everybody knows that 
fires are easily lighted by friction. Looking at it from 
this view-point, it is evident that light and heat were 
evolved very soon after matter commenced coming to- 
gether in globes ; resulting, as we find them, in luminous 
orbs of intense heat ; holding all the substances of 
which they are composed in a state of liquid fire. 

It should also be noted that, after the announcement 
of the first sentence — "In the beginning God created 
the heavens and the earth," all that follows relates to 
the earth: — "And the earth was waste and void; and 
darkness was upon the face of the deep." 

SOLAR SYSTEMS 

After the lapse of ages incalculable, the matter that 
was at its creation gaseous or atomic had assumed the 



74 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

form of globes of different sizes and density, each still 
held in a fluid state by intense heat. This is undoubt- 
edly still the condition of every luminous body in the 
heavens. One of these globes we call the sun; the 
others we call stars. The sun is the center of a system 
of non-luminous bodies that we call planets; and some 
of these are the centers around which revolve other non- 
luminous bodies that we call satellites. This fact sug- 
gests that the stars may also be centers of systems of 
planets similar to ours, the planets being invisible to 
our best telescopes. Telescopic observations have also 
revealed that not only satellites and planets, but suns 
also, revolve on their axes ; and as planets revolve also 
in orbits around their suns, so the suns, carrying their 
planets with them, also revolve around a central point, 
somewhere in space, from which central position, with 
the whole universe under His all-seeing eye, the Om- 
nipotent Creator may hold the entire cosmos in order. 
On this hypothesis it ceases to be a wonder or a mystery 
that the whole cosmos should move with exactness, 
both of position and time, around the throne of its 
Creator and Sovereign. 

OUR SOLAR SYSTEM 

Narrowing the field of our vision to our own solar 
system, let us note the process by which it came into its 
present form, as we find it recorded by the hand of Him 
who made it. The history commences at the time when 
the matter which now forms the whole system — sun and 
planets — constituted one orb, whose diameter was 
coincident with the diameter of the orbit of the planet 
Neptune, the outermost planet of our system; namely, 
5,707,800,000 miles. The axial revolution of the sun 



CREATION AND EVOLUTION 75 

at that time became such as to overcome its cohesive 
attraction, and the matter that formed the planet was 
thrown off the sun's surface at the equator, as water 
flies from a grindstone when the rapidity of its revolu- 
tion overcomes its attraction for the water. This 
matter, at first a formless mass, "waste and void," was 
brought into a globular form by its cohesive attraction ; 
just as a drop of water, falling from the clouds, assumes 
a globular form. At the same time, it was carried 
forward by the momentum received from the rotation 
of the sun, but held from flying off in a tangent, just 
where these two forces — centrifugal and centripetal — 
balance and counterpoise each other, thus finding its 
orbit around the sun. 

After the lapse of another eon, during which the sun 
was contracting and becoming more dense, its equa- 
torial velocity again overcame its cohesive attraction, 
and another planet, Uranus, was thrown off ; which, in 
its turn, became globular, and found its orbit. At 
this time the diameter of the sun was 3,649,638,000 
miles. At the end of another eon, when the sun had 
contracted to the diameter of 1,772,000,000 miles, the 
planet Saturn was thrown off. Another period of 
condensation brought the sun to the diameter of 
966,600,000 miles, when Jupiter was thrown off. Then 
followed Mars, at the diameter of 283,000,000 miles; 
the Earth, at 185,800,000 ; Venus, at 134,400,000 ; and 
Mercury, at 72,000,000 miles; each, like its predeces- 
sors becoming a globe, and finding its orbit . 

These numbers represent the mean diameters of the 
orbits of these several planets ; that is, twice the mean 
distance of each from the sun at the present time. 



76 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

THE EARTH 

The mass of matter that forms the earth, and that 
was at first thrown off from the sun in broken frag- 
ments, like drops of water from a grindstone, in a 
comparatively short period of time was formed by 
cohesive attraction into a luminous, molten globe, its 
center located about where it now is, but its surface 
extending far beyond the orbit of the moon. In this 
mass the process of contraction and condensation went 
on until its diameter coincided with the diameter of 
the moon's orbit, when the centrifugal force of its axial 
revolution became too great for the centripetal, and the 
matter that composes the moon was thrown off from its 
equator. This matter soon assumed a globular form, 
and found its orbit around the earth as the earth had 
found its orbit around the sun. 

The first statement that describes the condition of 
the earth, as a separate body, is, "The earth was waste 
and void ; and darkness was upon the face of the deep." 
This language describes the condition of the earth from 
the time when it assumed a globular form until, by 
cooling, it reached a condition of stability, by the forma- 
tion of a hardened crust upon its surface. During the 
first portion of this inconceivable period, the earth was 
luminous like the sun — a sun revolving in an orbit 
around the sun ; also revolving on its axis. The water 
that has since entered chemically into its rocky strata, 
that which is mingled with its soil, that which is 
absorbed in all vegetable and animal life, that which 
is hidden away in its subterranean caverns, and that 
which lies upon its surface and is contained in its 
atmosphere, existed in the form of a deep, dense cloud, 



CREATION AND EVOLUTION 77 

held at a great distance from the earth by intense heat, 
but enveloping it completely, and impenetrable to the 
light of the snn. The darkness that such an envelope 
of cloud must have caused can be conceived by observ- 
ing how thin a stratum of cloud is required to hide the 
face of the sun, and produce partial darkness even at 
noonday. 

We are now at that period in the evolution of the 
earth when it had ceased to be self-luminous, but wat 
still too hot to admit of the contact of water; "and 
darkness was upon the face of the deep." Another 
period of unknown ages passes. The earth has cooled 
to such a degree that water can rest upon it, and the 
formative process is rapidly approaching completion, 
under the brooding influence of the Spirit of God. I 
think, however, that the words "was brooding" should 
be understood as expressing a continuous action and 
influence, that had been controlling the whole process 
of evolution from the utterance of the first creative fiat 
to that time. Though evolution is a distinct process 
from creation, it is not independent of divine direction. 
What God effects through His laws is His own work, 
just as much as what He causes by the fiat of His 
Omnipotent Will. 

"And God said, Let there be light." As has already 
been seen, the production of light did not require a 
creative fiat. Every orb in the heavens, including the 
solar center of our own planetary system, had for incon- 
ceivable ages been sources of light. This command, 
though in the form of a creative fiat, must refer to the 
time when sufficient vapor had descended from the 
heavens to the earth to allow the side of the earth 
toward the sun to be distinguished from the side oppo- 



78 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

site, which indicates the way God "divided the light 
from the darkness." "And there was evening and there 
was morning, one day." 

Once more, in the progress of evolutionary events, 
"God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the 
waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters 
that were under the firmament from the waters that 
were above the firmament. And God called the firma- 
ment heaven. And there was evening and there was 
morning, a second day." This division of the waters 
from the waters was the separation of the waters that 
rested upon the face of the earth from those that still 
remained in the air in the form of clouds, just as we 
see it to-day; and the firmament is the space between 
the two. Thus it is clear that this was not a creative 
fiat. It came about through the operation of well- 
known laws, and may properly be termed the work of 
evolution. 

VEGETABLE LIFE 

The earth is now ready for the introduction of vegeta- 
ble life, at least in its lowest forms. This required 
another creative fiat. No effort of man to evolve either 
vegetable or animal life from pure inanimate matter 
has ever been successful, though most determined efforts 
have been made with that end in view. Creative power 
could doubtless have made all things just as we find 
them to-day, without any of the processes of evolution ; 
but evolution can effect nothing without creation. In 
the working of both it is not difficult to trace the nat- 
ural history of the entire universe; but the attempt to 
eliminate God and creative energy, and account for the 



CREATION AND EVOLUTION 79 

whole on the principle of evolution, has proved one of 
man's greatest blunders and greatest failures. Nor is 
it difficult by careful study, to find where creative 
energy has supplied the "missing links" that pure evo- 
lutionists could not discover with all their determined 
efforts. 

Though it may not be disputed that some of the 
events following the imperative, "Let there be," were 
brought about through the agency of what we call 
"natural laws," it should not be forgotten that natural 
laws are only God's method of molding and framing 
the material His creative power has furnished. He 
who created matter also ordained its laws. Nature 
is herself supernatural. Whether families, genera, 
and species of both vegetable and animal life, are the 
product of creation or evolution, I must leave for others 
to determine. There is, however, one significant cir- 
cumstance in connection with the introduction of vege- 
table life, that should not be overlooked in the study of 
that question. Three distinct orders of vegetable life 
are mentioned in this creative fiat: — "And God said, 
Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and 
fruit-trees bearing fruit." The word grass refers spe- 
cifically to plants that are propagated rather from the 
roots than from the seed; herbs include such plants as 
bear naked seeds from which they are propagated; 
fruit-trees bear fruit whose seeds are enclosed in an 
envelope either pulpy or dry. These three orders of 
vegetable life are clearly distinct, each from the others. 
They cannot be united by any cultivating process 
known. Budding or grafting of either into another 
is impossible. While great changes may be evolved 
within its own limits, the line that divides them may 



80 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

not be crossed. They were also, without doubt, intro- 
duced at different times, as the earth reached a state 
adapted to the growth of each. 

SUN, MOON, AND STARS 

The next event in chronological order is the appear- 
ance, not the creation, of sun, moon, and stars. Genesis 
1 : 14-16, "And God said, Let there be lights in the firma- 
ment of heaven to divide the day from the night; and 
let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and 
years: and let them be for lights in the firmament of 
heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. 
And God made the two great lights; the greater light 
to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: 
he made the stars also." 

Since sun, moon, and stars had been in existence in- 
conceivable ages before any of the events preceding this 
in the record, the only reason that can be assigned for 
their being mentioned at this point is that conditions 
of their being visible from the earth are now for the 
first time fulfilled. Until the heavens were so cleared 
from cloud that there were at least patches of clear sky, 
neither sun, moon, nor stars could be seen. The fact 
that there was no one on the earth at this time to see 
the heavenly bodies has nothing to do with the order of 
the events recorded. 

ANIMAL LIFE 

It is not easy to determine, from geological data, 
whether vegetable or animal life was first created. The 
natural conditions of either, in its lowest form, seem 
to be substantially the same. The water, and the sur- 
face of the earth, must have become sufficiently cool not 



CREATION AND EVOLUTION 81 

to destroy the germs of life in either form. Through 
the influences of seismic disturbances, of heat and cold, 
of abrasion and attrition, the dry land was also fur- 
nished with fertile soil, to promote vegetable growth. 
It is also evident that the earth was ready for some 
orders of both vegetable and animal life long before it 
was ready for others, which would go to show that in 
neither case was the creative fiat a unit, but rather a 
succession of creations. We shall not stop to argue 
this question now, our present purpose being simply to 
distinguish between what was created and what was 
produced by development or evolution; and that only 
in a general way. 

The creation of the lowest forms of aquatic and aerial 
animal life seems to have been simultaneous. "And 
God said, Let the waters swarm with swarms of living 
creatures, and let the birds fly above the earth in the 
open firmament of heaven." One peculiarity of great 
significance appears at this point of creative progress 
for the first time. It is the Hebrew word nephesh. 
This word is found in the Bible six hundred and sev- 
enty-two times. In the old version it is translated 
breath once; life one hundred and eleven times; and 
soul five hundred and sixty times. It is the word that 
expresses the life principle — the vital spark. It is also 
the seat of the intelligence. Its treatment in full will be 
found in our consideration of the constitution of man. 

Another important explanation is necessary here, in 
order to a proper understanding of the scope of this 
creation. Professor George Bush, a distinguished 
Hebraist of the first half of the nineteenth century, in 
"Notes on the Book of Genesis," on the phrase, "and 
fowl that may fly above the earth," says, "The proper 



82 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

rendering is not fowl, but flying things, including the 
tribes of all kinds that can raise themselves into the 
air." Also, in the next verse, the phrase, "every winged 
fowl," he says, should read, "every flying thing that 
hath wings." This will include insects that breed in 
water, which was probably the first form of aerial 
animal life, being bred while the water was still warm. 
Other forms would naturally be introduced by creative 
power as the earth was in condition to sustain them. 
"The great sea-monsters" and other forms of aquatic 
animal life may or may not have been created later. 

DRY-LAND ANIMALS 

"And God said, Let the earth bring forth living crea- 
tures after their kind, cattle, and creeping things, and 
beasts of the earth after their kind." The word earth 
is here used in contrast with water. "Living creatures" 
is here living souls. Comparing land animals with 
those that live in the water, a great superiority is 
observable in both the anatomy and the intelligence of 
the dry-land animals. This circumstance directs our 
attention to the fact that there is a constantly ascending 
grade of anatomical structure and intellectual endow- 
ment from the first creation of animal life to the last. 

The earth has now reached a state that is capable of 
sustaining life in any form. Its surface that at one 
time was a hard, dry, hot cinder, is now a fertile field, 
covered with a productive soil. Grass, edible vege- 
tables, and forest trees abound on its well-watered sur- 
face. Oceans have found their beds, and are swarming 
with aquatic life of every description. Rivers and 
rivulets have excavated their channels, and are hurry- 
ing to the ocean to supply the waste that is occasioned 



CREATION AND EVOLUTION 83 

by the wonderful vaporous circulation that supplies 
both sea and land with the very life-blood of vegetable 
and animal existence. The earth turns regularly upon 
its axis, giving the succession of day and night with 
perfect exactness. The atmosphere is swarming with 
winged life; and the forests are only waiting for the 
multiplying of land animals that shall supply the last 
link in the chain of means for the introduction, intelli- 
gent growth, and moral development of the human fam- 
ily. The home that the Father has been incalculable 
ages in erecting and furnishing for the use of His family 
is now ready for occupancy, and the time for the last 
creative fiat has come. 

Judging from the inconceivable time employed in the 
erection and furnishing of this home, and the stu- 
pendous nature of the work itself, both in its magnitude 
and in the minuteness of its detail, also the faultless 
unity of its design, as shown in the perfect adaptation 
of each part to all other parts, and to the whole, and 
also to the end designed, we cannot fail to get some idea 
of the meaning of "infinite wisdom," as well as to see 
the stupendous greatness and importance of the one 
culminating event, the production of the king who shall 
"have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the 
birds of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all 
the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth 
upon the earth." Surely, "the invisible things of him, 
from the creation of the world are clearly seen; being 
perceived through the things that are made; even his 
everlasting power and divinity" (Romans 1 : 20). 

THE CREATION OF MAN 

"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after 
our likeness .... and God created man in his own 



84 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

image, in the image of God created he him; male and 
female created he them." This event demands careful, 
close, analytical study. 

Although it is recorded as taking place on the same 
day as the creation of land animals, it is not accom- 
plished by the same creative fiat; nor is it at all prob- 
able that both occurred at the same time. It is another 
creation ; and the climax of creative power. 

I am painfully impressed that this crowning act of 
creation has never yet been fully and clearly understood. 
I must, therefore, be pardoned for giving it a very thor- 
ough examination. My theory will be new to my 
readers ; but I believe it will bear the most critical and 
logical scrutiny. 

Genesis 1 : 26, "God said, Let us make man in our 
image, after our likeness." Verse 27, "And God creat- 
ed man in his own image, in the image of God created 
he him; male and female created he them." Genesis 
2 : 7, "And Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the 
ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life ; 
and man became a living soul." 

1. "And Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the 
ground." This refers only to the body, or at most to 
his animal nature. Evolutionists tell us that man 
was evolved by a long line of progressive development 
through inferior animals, until the most perfect 
mechanical combination in his physical structure was 
attained. I have no objection to this. That is the 
way God made everything else, and I have no idea that 
the material part of man is any exception to the general 
rule. Let it be so understood. 

2. "And breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, 
and man became a living soul." What is a living 



CREATION AND EVOLUTION 85 

soul? The Hebrew words here translated living soul 
are nephesh ehayyah, and are first used in Genesis 1 : 20, 
"Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creat- 
ures." The same words are found again in Genesis 
1 : 30, "And to every beast of the earth, and to every 
bird of the heavens, and to every thing that creepeth 
upon the earth wherein there is life" — nephesh. This 
makes it certain that every beast and every bird and 
every thing that has animal life has nephesh; the 
Hebrew word that is translated soul four hundred and 
thirty-seven times in the Old Testament, and life 
ninety-nine times. So far, then, as body and soul are 
concerned, men and brutes are constituted alike. What 
does this include ? 

In every form of animal life we find first the life 
principle. Since animals consist of material bodies 
and soul only, and since there is no life in pure matter, 
the life principle, called sometimes "the vital spark," 
must be found in the soul. We also find every creature 
that possesses animal life endowed also with a certain 
degree of intelligence ; with which man is most highly 
endowed. Now, a careful study of animal psychology 
will reveal the fact that animal intelligence of every 
grade includes the same faculties as characterize the 
intelligence of man; namely, thought, feeling, and voli- 
tion. This shows that, up to this point, man is only an 
animal, though, in anatomical structure and intellectual 
endowment, far superior to any other. 

Be careful now. Do not form conclusions too 
hastily, and say, Then immortality does not belong to 
man any more than to the brute. The creation of man 
is not yet completed. I am willing to admit that, up 
to this point, the science of biology traces man correctly 



86 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

to his ancestry. But this is not a finished, complete 
man. He is not yet human. But, alas! this is all 
that many men know of themselves ; nor are they aware 
of this. "They that are after the flesh do mind the 
things of the flesh" (Romans 8:5). This class of 
persons is described with wonderful power and accuracy 
by the apostle Peter. 

2 Peter 2 : 12-19, "But these, as creatures without 
reason, born mere animals to be taken and destroyed, 
railing in matters whereof they are ignorant, shall in 
their destroying surely be destroyed, suffering 
wrong as the hire of wrong-doing; men that count it 
pleasure to revel in the day-time, spots and 
blemishes, reveling in their deceivings while they 
feast with you ; having eyes full of adultery, and that 
cannot cease from sin; enticing unstedfast souls; hav- 
ing a heart exercised in covetousness ; children of 
cursing; forsaking the right way, they went astray, 
having followed the way of Baalam the son of Beor, 
who loved the hire of wrong-doing ; but he was rebuked 
for his own transgression : the dumb ass spoke with 
man's voice and stayed the madness of the prophet. 
These are springs without water, and mists driven by 
a storm ; for whom the blackness of darkness hath been 
reserved. For, uttering great swelling words of vanity, 
they entice in the lusts of the flesh, by lasciviousness, 
those who are just escaping from them that live in 
error; promising them liberty, while they themselves 
are bondservants of corruption ; for of whom a man is 
overcome, of the same is he also brought into bondage." 
See also Jude 10-16 ; and Romans 1 : 21-25 ; and several 
other passages. 

Though lengthy, I have copied this passage entire 



CREATION AND EVOLUTION 87 

because it represents the true attitude of all men and 
women who neglect the part of their being that makes 
them human, and waste their precious lives "doing the 
desires of the flesh and of the mind" (Ephesians 2:3). 
"Like brutes thej live; like brutes they die." Dear 
reader, give this matter one solemn, searching thought, 
and see whether you belong to this class. 

But, we are not yet done with the creation of man. 
We have only "formed" his animal nature, which was 
grown, not created. Look at Genesis 2 : 7 once more. 
"Breathed into his nostrils the breath of life." This 
should read "the breath of lives." This plural has 
been a puzzle to commentators as well as translators; 
but the inspiring Spirit knew just what was needed, 
whether even the writer understood it or not. Every 
human being is, or should be, living two lives — the 
physical or animal life, and the spiritual life, that fits 
him for a future state of existence. In order to this 
life, another element in his constitution is necessary. 
"Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God." 
"There is a spirit in man, and the breath of the 
Almighty giveth them understanding" (Job 32:8). 
This is just what God did for man when He "breathed 
into his nostrils the breath of lives." He gave to man 
a spirit. This completed the constitutional likeness of 
man to Himself. Man is now complete "in the image 
and likeness" of his Creator. His body is the image 
of God; and every faculty he possesses — intellectual 
and moral — is a finite imitation of the same in his 
Creator and Father. 



CHAPTER V 



MAN WHAT? AND WHY? 



IN the light of theory advanced in the preceding 
chapter, and only on this hypothesis, we can un- 
derstand the noble, exalted nature of man, and his 
relation to all other creatures that God has made. He 
is the last thing created, and occupies the highest 
position in the ascending scale of creation. In him are 
found all the faculties and potentialities that have been 
introduced from time to time into objects of lower 
grade. He is the product of both evolution and crea- 
tion, and the most complete and wonderful example of 
both. "Fearfully and wonderfully made." His true 
position and character are clearly expressed, Psalms 
8 : 5, 6, "Thou hast made him but little lower than God, 
and crowned him with glory and honor. Thou madest 
him to have dominion over the works of thy hands. 
Thou hast put all things under his feet." 

Contrary to the prevailing opinion we have found 
that man is triplex instead of duplex. The idea that 
the soul and spirit of man are identical is unscriptural, 
and entirely inconsistent with the end for which God 
created him, and the means He ordained for the attain- 
ment of that end. The following scriptures discrimi- 
nate between them as clearly as it could possibly be 
done. 1 Thessalonians 5 : 23, "May your spirit and 



90 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

soul and body be preserved entire, without blame at the 
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." Hebrew 4 : 12, "The 
word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any 
two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of 
soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and quick 
to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart." 

We have now our man complete, as God created and 
made him. He is triplex, and consists of soul, body, 
and spirit. Let us now find the function of each part, 
and how they work together in the attainment of the 
great end for which God created man, and the world 
itself for his use in the attainment of that end. 

1. The soul. It is in no sense a degrading fact 
that brutes have souls as well as men. There are three 
classes of beings that possess in common, life, locomo- 
tion, and the intellectual faculties of thought, emotion, 
and volition. These living, moving, thinking, feeling, 
willing beings are classified as follows : — (1) Spiritual ; 
including God, the Son of God, angels, and saints in 
heaven. These are constituted of soul and spirit. (2) 
The human race on earth; constituted of soul, spirit, 
and material body. (3) Brutes; constituted of soul 
and material body. It will be noticed that the consti- 
tution of man allies him to both the other classes. 
This was necessary in order to enable him to become 
in his life here on earth what God designed. What 
that is, and how we shall accomplish it, is the problem 
before us in this chapter. The problem can be solved 
only by a careful study of his constituent parts, and 
acquaintance with the manner of their cooperation with 
one another, and the cooperation of the whole man with 
God. To the study of this great problem we invite 
the helpful company, and sympathy, and thoughtful 



MAN— WHAT? AND WHY? 91 

attention of the reader. Please study each statement 
as you proceed. 

The soul represents first that indescribable something 
we call life. Wherever there is soul there is life; and 
wherever there is life (excepting vegetable life), there 
is soul. The soul also possesses the three faculties that 
constitute intelligence, whether in a large degree as in 
man ; or in the very lowest order of brute or insect life. 
The faculties of thought, sensibility, and volition, reside 
in the soul. Note particularly that all these faculties 
are found in the brute. All brutes think, and feel, and 
will. Since these functions are utterly impossible to 
the flesh, the conclusion is unavoidable that they 
belong to the soul. Since this is true in the case of 
brutes, it must also be true in man. The soul, then, is 
the real man — the inner man. The individuality of 
the creature, in man the personality, is in the soul. It 
is the soul that says, I, you, he, she, it, my, mine, yours, 
theirs ; I think, I feel, I will. 

2. The material body. The body of man, "formed 
of the dust of the ground," is the house in which the 
man, the soul, dwells, while passing through this mortal 
life. Though wonderful in its construction — "fearfully 
and wonderfully made" — the body has no meaning, ob- 
ject, purpose, only as the servant of the soul. Its five 
nerve organs, called senses — sight, hearing, smelling, 
tasting, feeling — are avenues through which the soul 
becomes conscious of, and acquainted with, the qual- 
ities, laws, and utilities of the material world, and the 
events that are transpiring therein. These are its 
receptivities. By means of the bones, muscles, and 
nerves of the body, to which it seems to impart life, and 
over which it exercises, within certain limits complete 



92 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

control, each soul is able to impart to other souls its 
own thoughts, feelings, and purposes. The body has 
also utilities in the realm of moral agency, that will be 
treated in another place. 

3. The spirit. The most perplexing question of the 
ages has been, What is the spirit as a constituent part 
of man? and what are its functions and uses? For 
lack of a rational and consistent answer to these ques- 
tions, the most absurd theories have been devised; we 
may with propriety say, conjured up. Of the absurd 
theories contended for, the most unnatural and incon- 
sistent of them all is the common, almost universal, 
idea that the soul and the spirit are the same; in sup- 
port of which I aver there is not a word or passage 
between the lids of the Bible. There are only two 
passages in which soul and spirit are mentioned 
together, in both of which the distinction between them 
is as complete as possible. The passages are 1 Thessalo- 
nians 5 : 23, "May your spirit and soul and body be pre- 
served entire, without blame at the coming of our Lord 
Jesus Christ ;" and Hebrew 4 : 12, "The word of God is 
living, and active, and sharper that any two-edged 
sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and 
spirit, of both joints and marrow, and quick to discern 
the thoughts and intents of the heart." If this pas- 
sage discriminates between joints and marrow, does it 
not also discriminate between soul and spirit? 

That a radical and thorough re-examination of this 
whole subject is demanded needs no better evidence 
than the many different theories that have been advanc- 
ed since the time of Augustine respecting it. On a 
great and fundamental subject like this, radically dif- 
ferent views mean error. When two men differ, one 



MAN— WHAT? AND WHY? 93 

of them must be wrong. They may both be wrong, but 
they cannot both be right. A deep and solemn convic- 
tion of this fact prompted me, about twenty years ago, 
to give this subject the most careful, candid, prayerful, 
conscientious, original study that I was capable of 
making. I considered that I had in my possession all 
the means of an original study that had been enjoyed 
by others and many advantages that Augustine, the 
triumphant advocate of the theory mentioned above, did 
not have fourteen hundred years ago. In my own 
judgment of the characteristics and reliable evidences 
of truth, my success in this undertaking has surpassed 
my anticipations ; and I submit my theory, fully believ- 
ing it will commend itself to all the thinkers and schol- 
ars of to-day, as scientific, reasonable, and scriptural. 
The key to the situation is Moral Agency; that is, the 
conditions of a choice that has a moral character. 

The spirit is the element in man that distinguishes 
him from the brute and makes him human. The dis- 
tinguishing characteristics are not inherent in the 
spirit, as a part of the human constitution ; but its pres- 
ence furnishes the occasion for their manifestation, by 
supplying the conditions that enable the soul to exer- 
cise functions that are impossible to the brute ; thereby 
raising man above the plane of instinct, and enabling 
him to exercise reason instead. Our theory is expressed 
in the following propositions. 

a. Spirit is a substance; not material, but of a 
nature peculiarly its own. As there are grades of 
refinement in matter, some portions being so delicate as 
to be invisible even under the most powerful micro- 
scope, as the gases, and the atmosphere; so there is at 
least one substance so refined that it contains no matter 



94 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

at all. We call this a spiritual substance — God, angels, 
and saints in heaven possess this substance. 

~b. The spirit of man is thoroughly human. It is 
not a "spark of divinity," struck off from the Spirit of 
God, and implanted in man, making him divine, nor is 
it in any sense superhuman. It is mentioned in the 
Scriptures only as "the spirit of man." It is found in 
no other earthly creature than man. To him, however, 
that is to his manhood, to everything that elevates him 
above the plane and condition of the brute, it is essen- 
tial. 

c. The spirit of man is the gift of God. By this 
statement I mean that it is not a product of either 
creation, evolution, or generation. This is a fact that, 
I believe, has never been mentioned by any author, 
ancient or recent, as having a bearing upon the ques- 
tion we are now discussing. 

In support of this statement we quote the following 
Scriptures : — Zechariah 12 : 1, "Thus saith Jehovah, 
who stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the founda- 
tions of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within 
him." Numbers 16 : 22 and 27 : 16, "The God of the 
spirits of all flesh." Hebrews 12 : 9, "Shall we not be 
in subjection unto the Father of spirits?" Ecclesiastes 
12 : 7, "The dust returneth to the earth as it was, and 
the spirit returneth to God who gave it." 

This is language that is never used with reference to 
the soul; and seems to intimate that, while the soul 
and the body are the product of generation, the spirit 
is given to the new-born child, as in the case of Adam, 
when God breathes into its nostrils the breath of lives. 
To those who are anxious to use this passage to prove 
that either the soul or the spirit or both are offspring, 



MAN— WHAT? AND WHY? 95 

in some manner, of the divine nature, it is sufficient to 
say, An exhaled breath is no part of the person, or of 
the nature of the person who exhales it. 

d. The uses of the spirit are plainly indicated in 
such passages as the following : — Job 32 : 8, "There is a 
spirit in man, and the breath (in the Old Version, in- 
spiration) of the Almighty giveth them understanding." 
Eomans 8 : 16, "The Spirit itself beareth witness with 
our spirit that we are children of God." A very sug- 
gestive text is Proverbs 20 : 27, "The spirit of man is the 
lamp of Jehovah." Divine light, and all divine influ- 
ences, come to the human soul through the human spirit. 
God is a dynamo from which all spiritual light ema- 
nates; and the spirit of man is the burner through 
which that light reaches the human soul. This enables 
us to comprehend the deep meaning of John 1 : 9, read 
as suggested in the marginal notes of the American Ke- 
vision, "The true light which lighteth every man as he 
cometh into the world." Also John 1 : 5, "The light 
shineth in the darkness; and the darkness apprehend- 
eth it not." The same sad fact that is so often mention- 
ed in the Scriptures, and so deplorably illustrated in 
the sensual and worldy lives of men and women. "This 
is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, 
and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for 
their works were evil. For every one that doeth evil 
hateth the light, and cometh not to the light, lest his 
works should be reproved" (John 3: 19, 20). 

To particularize all the influences that the Spirit of 
God exercises over the thought, feelings, and volitions 
of men would require a volume. Let it suffice that 
every impulse to that which is noble and good, the 
assisting grace that strengthens the soul in trials that 



96 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

seem too great to be borne, the comfort that comes to 
those who are overwhelmed with sorrow, the spirit of 
truth that leads into all truth and gives wisdom to 
those who ask it, the voice within that assures our faith 
that we are accepted of Him, and gives us "fellowship 
with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ;" in 
short, all the influences that prompt to noble endeavor 
and in innumerable ways minister to our spiritual 
needs, reach the soul through our spirit. God holds 
no communion with brutes, though "not a sparrow falls 
to the ground without His notice," because brutes have 
no spiritual nature. Man has spiritual life because 
spirit is one of the elements of his nature. His mate- 
rial body connects him with the animal life, and his 
spirit allies him to God, and enables him to live a noble, 
spiritual life, even the life eternal. 

e. One more important fact remains to be mentioned. 
The spirit of man is his spiritual body. If the soul 
requires the material body, endowed with material 
nervous organs, in order to its physical life and 
acquaintance with material things, does not analogy 
teach us that it requires a spiritual body in order to a 
spiritual life, and acquaintance with spiritual things? 
Are not the facts and laws of the material world object 
lessons, pointing directly and by divine intention to 
facts and laws in the spiritual world? To what else, 
then, can this analogy point? 

By superficial reading of two passages, men have 
jumped to the conclusion that there will be no spiritual 
body until the material body fails ; but a careful reading 
of the passages will show that they neither say nor mean 
any such thing. 2 Corinthians 5 : 1 reads, "If the 
earthly house of our tabernacle be dissolved, we have a 



MAN— WHAT? AND WHY? 97 

building from God, not made with hands, eternal in 
the heavens." This is just what we have shown respect- 
ing the spirit of man. God is the "Father of spirits," 
and at death "the spirit shall return to God who gave 
it." The spirit that God gave to man at his birth, 
returns at death to God who gave it. If it is not given 
to man until his death, what sense would there be in 
saying it will return at the same time to God who gave 
it? Note again, it reads, "We have sl building from 
God." By what authority do we read we shall have? 
Does not the apostle clearly mean we shall not become 
extinct, like the brute, when the earthly house of our 
tabernacle is dissolved, because we have a body in 
which our soul will still live ; a body that death cannot 
dissolve, immortal, eternal, and to the Ghristian, of 
whom he is speaking, "in the heavens" ? 

The other declaration of Paul on this point is 1 Cor- 
inthians 15 : 44, "If there is a natural body, there is also 
a spiritual body." Note that the tense of the verbs 
is the present. If the natural body is in existence now, 
so is the spiritual body. The conclusion, then, is un- 
avoidable, that the human spirit is the spiritual body; 
that the soul is enabled to live two lives at the same 
time, because it dwells in two bodies. Also that, when 
death comes, and the earthly house of our tabernacle is 
dissolved, the soul will go into the future life in the 
spiritual body, which God gives to each child when He 
breathes into its nostrils the breath of lives ; and which 
death cannot dissolve. 

I cannot leave this subject without calling attention 
to what seems to me to be a fact that has escaped the 
observation of Ghristian philosophers entirely, but that 
sheds great light on many theological questions. The 



98 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

foregoing discussion has plainly shown that the soul, as 
well as the material body, is the product of generation. 
The two parts of animal life, the soul and the body, 
whether in the brute or in man, have their origin in the 
two parents. The zoosperm, the life principle, the soul, 
is furnished by one parent; the ovum, from which the 
body is developed, by the other. From this we may 
learn that the soul is not, as is generally supposed, in 
its own nature immortal. Hence when the brute dies, 
that ends all with him. The only body in which he 
lives is dissolved. His life is extinct. When man 
dies he has a deathless spiritual body in which he still 
lives. 

There is also another significant fact that bears 
weightily on this point. It is observable in man. 
When by any means the material body becomes tempor- 
arily paralyzed, the nerves of sense dormant, called 
sometimes a "state of suspended animation," the soul 
usually becomes utterly unconscious of its own exist- 
ence. In some cases, however, while earthly things 
are shut out from consciousness, spiritual things that 
are discernible by the soul only through the spirit, be- 
come very real. Paul mentions such a case, 2 Corin- 
thians 12 : 2-4, "I know a man in Christ, fourteen years 
ago (whether in the body, I know not; or whether out of 
the body, I know not; God knoweth), such a one caught 
up even to the third heaven and heard unspeaka- 
ble words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter." 

Here was consciousness of spiritual things, while un- 
conscious of material things. This may have occurred 
when he was stoned at Lystra, and they "dragged him 
out of the city, supposing he was dead," just fourteen 
years before this epistle was written. 



MAN— WHAT? AND WHY? 99 

Now the meaning of all this is this: — The soul, 
though the principle of life, and the seat of all intellect- 
ual activities and consciousness, is self-conscious, and 
can manifest itself to others, only when dwelling in a 
body, material or spiritual, or both. Without a body 
there is no life. This I believe is true of all living 
things, from the self-existent Creator to the lowest 
form of life He has created. 

The only existences I can find that have no body are 
space and duration, and these have no life. 

f. The crowning fact respecting the spirit of man 
remains yet to be noticed. It is the spirit that enables 
man to be a Moral Agent. Highly endowed as he is 
intellectually, deprive him of his spirit, and you will 
have left only a beast. He may be a scholar, a scientist, 
he may even talk and write, and still have no idea of 
God, of morality, of right and wrong, of religion, of 
worship, or of moral responsibility in any form. Where 
there is no spirit, there can be no spiritual nature, no 
spiritual sense, no spiritual life. 

No one will dispute for a single moment that a free, 
uncoerced choice, in the presence of an alternative, is 
an indispensable condition of a moral act. The brute 
cannot perform a moral act because his will is ap- 
proachable only through the flesh. The field of his con- 
sciousness is limited to his physical wants. Some ani- 
mals have social instincts, and are gregarious. Some 
are fond of friendly attentions, and like to be petted. 
Some have intelligence sufficient to learn how to per- 
form wonderful feats, and seem to understand what is 
said to them. They even seem sometimes to try to 
talk; and sometimes almost succeed. Some of them 
imitate with great success the acts and movements of 



100 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

men ; and, like the shepherd dog, learn to perform, 
either with or without bidding, and without any super- 
vision, useful and laborious services. They also appre- 
ciate the approval, and appear ashamed and mortified at 
the disapproval of their masters. In all this, however, 
there is no sign of a moral motive. The most tractable, 
in learning feats to which instinct does not prompt, 
never seek knowledge. They learn only from experi- 
ence, and that only by compulsion. They cannot un- 
derstand a moral obligation, nor have they the most 
remote idea of moral accountability. What is the 
reason for all this ? They are dichotomous. The will 
is approached only from one direction. Whatever 
the flesh demands, the will hastens to supply, and there 
the matter ends. There is no alternative, no will in 
liberty, no choice. 

Now consider man. His intellectual capacity is 
superior to that of the most highly endowed brute, but 
that is not sufficient. Add to the intellectual capacity 
of a monkey, or an elephant, or a horse, or a dog, the 
power to apprehend an alternative, and the understand- 
ing that to choose one would be wrong and to chose the 
other would be right, and he will be a Moral Agent. 
Take from man that apprehension and understanding, 
and he will be utterly irresponsible ; only a brute. This 
fact is illustrated in the case of every insane person. 
Insane persons often possess remarkable intellectual 
ability, but are irresponsible because they have no 
power of choice. Whatever may be the cause, the will 
is in bondage, not in liberty. 

My -affirmation is, this difference is all due to the ab- 
sence of the spirit in brutes, and its presence in man. 
As the material body is the medium of communication 



MAN— WHAT? AND WHY? 101 

between the material world and the soul, so is the spirit, 
the spiritual body, the medium of communication be- 
tween the spiritual world and the soul. "The Spirit of 
God witnesseth with our spirit." Through the spirit 
that is in man, "the Almighty giveth them understand- 
ing." All uplifting, ennobling, divine impulses that 
come to the soul of man come from the Spirit of God, 
through the medium of the spirit of man — the spiritual 
body — in which the soul lives its spiritual life. 

Now let me add, This is not a theory of my devising- 
It is the plain teaching of the Word of God. What 
psychological conditions, if not these, did the apostle 
Paul have in mind when he wrote Galatians 5 : 16, 17, 
"Walk by the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of 
the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and 
the Spirit against the flesh ; for these are contrary the 
one to the other ; that ye may not do the things that ye 
would." This is also the psychological philosophy of 
the state described in Romans 7 : 14, "For we know that 
the law is spiritual : but I am carnal, sold under sin." 
Verse 22, "I delight in the law of God after the inward 
man (the spirit) : (verse 23) , but I see a different law in 
my members (the flesh), warring against the law of my 
mind, and bringing me into captivity under the law of 
sin which is in my members." This is the condition of a 
soul that is in a state of bondage to sin, and cries out 
(verse 24), "Wretched man that I am! who shall de- 
liver me out of the body of this death?" After ex- 
claiming with triumph (verse 25), "I thank God 
through Jesus Christ our Lord" there is deliverance; 
he proceeds in the eighth chapter to show how this 
deliverance is effected. He says (verse 2), "The law of 
the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the 



102 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

law of sin and death." He then adds (verses 5-7), 
"For they that are after the flesh mind the things of the 
flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of 
the Spirit. For the mind of the flesh is death; but 
the mind of the Spirit is life and peace: because the 
mind of the flesh is enmity against God; for it is not 
subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be : and 
they that are in the flesh cannot please God." The 
meaning of all this is very plain. The soul that is 
under the dominion of the flesh is in bondage to sin; 
and to be under the dominion of the flesh is death ; but 
the soul that is under the dominion of the spirit is in 
the enjoyment of life and peace. This shows exactly 
in what state every sinner is, in what state every Chris- 
tian is, and the exact nature of the change of heart that 
Jesus called being born again. It also shows how God 
constructed man, and why He constructed him as He 
did. He made him "in his own likeness," a Moral 
Agent ; and so constructed him that he not only can be, 
but must be a Moral Agent every moment of his life, 
after he reaches the age of moral responsibility. This 
is the top-stone of the great royal palacial edifice of 
creation, or rather the splendid, magnificent dome that 
covers the whole edifice. 

Now, reader, take your drawing pencil and draw the 
figure of a person (yourself) standing at the point 
where two roads meet, in one of which he or she (you) 
must travel. To the left a "broad way" opens with an 
alluring prospect. It looks like an even road, for its 
grade is descending, and its precipitous and dangerous 
places are hidden from view. (Yet those who have 
traveled that road are before our eyes every day; and 
their wretched condition should be a perpetual warn- 



MAN— WHAT? AND WHY? 103 

ing.) A finger-board stands there on which is written, 
Worldy Pleasures, Sensual Indulgence, Personal Lib- 
erty, Self-Gratification, Worldly Ambition, Worldly 
Honor, etc. To the right opens a plain road, not un- 
inviting, yet not dazzling, with an ascending grade, and 
lofty summits in the distance. A finger-board stands 
there also, on which is written, Truth, Purity, Self- 
Control, Industry, Usefulness, Contentment, Happi- 
ness, Long Life, Enduring Honor, Triumphant Death, 
Eternal Life. 

When you have completed the picture, and given it 
the finest finish you can, look at it steadily and meditate 
on this wise : — That represents me, not only at the com- 
mencement of my accountable life, in my childhood, but 
at every moment of every hour of every day, as I pass 
through this probationary life. Trees of forbidden 
fruit stand on either side of the path of life all the way 
from the cradle to the grave. Beware what you do ! 

Such is moral agency ; and such is every human life. 
To meet precisely these conditions, and to gain the 
prize and the glorious outlook from the summit at the 
end of the upward grade of a true, noble, Christian life, 
God has so created you that the alternative is in your 
constitution and ever with you. You must make your 
own choice. The responsibility rests wholly on your- 
self. You not only can, but you must be a Moral Agent. 
It was for this purpose that He made you as He did, 
and that He made you at all. How grand ; how glori- 
ous; how wonderful; how exalted; how divine, is life, 
even a mortal life, under such conditions! Dear read- 
er, see to it that you "walk worthily of the high vocation 
wherewith you are called." 

There is one more feature of this wonderful human 



104 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

life — one more end that entered into God's plan when 
He constructed the human constitution, that we must 
look at before we close this dissertation on Man. 

The human infant is the most helpless creature born. 
It does not know where to find its first breakfast; and 
has not strength enough to get to it if it knew where 
to find it. Such is the beginning of a human life — the 
life we have just characterized as glorious, wonderful, 
divine. Look again. A "grand old man" stands be- 
fore you. He has passed through the heat of eighty 
summers, and the cold of eighty winters, and the labors, 
hardships, and disciplinary experiences of eighty years. 
You see no resemblance to the helpless infant we saw 
just now; but it is the same person. In that infant 
there were wrapped up potentially all the admirable 
characteristics that now we see in that glory-crowned 
old man. How has this come about? It is the work- 
ing out in man of God's universal plan. All great 
and valuable things grow. The noble, godlike man of 
fourscore years is the product of moral agency well 
improved. How was it done? I will tell you. It 
was by a wonderful, providential arrangement, that I 
fear very few ever notice, or have any idea of. 

That helpless infant, as we have seen, is triplex in 
its nature. It consists of soul, body, and spirit. Each 
exists in embryo. All of the potentialities of "the 
image and likeness" of God are there ; but they are un- 
developed. Their development is the work of a life- 
time. Study life itself, as it passes before you every 
day, and you will find how it is done. 

1. The first to be developed is the body. This devel- 
opment is twofold — growth and strength. The first 
is obtained by feeding ; the second by exercise. For the 



MAN— WHAT? AND WHY? 105 

growth of the body God has made the earth to teem with 
abundance. The products of the earth, with air and 
sunshine, meet every physical need of man, and of every 
living thing. For the attainment of strength, God has 
provided in the childish plays of infancy and childhood, 
and the labors necessary in later years to obtain from 
the earth the food ordained for our sustenance. This 
is God's plan for the growth of the body. 

2. His plan for the growth of the soul is still more 
wonderful. We have seen that the intelligence of man 
is in the soul. The soul is the personal man. It is the 
soul that thinks, feels, and wills. But it is also to be 
developed. The life is there complete, but there is no 
intelligence. How shall it learn ? Watch that infant 
a few weeks, and you will observe its eyes will roll from 
side to side to follow a moving object that passes before 
it. That is attention, the first indication of intelli- 
gence. Look again ; it is putting forth its little hand 
to touch the object it sees. Another faculty is aroused. 
That was an act of will. O, look! look! It smiles. 
Yes, another faculty has received the electric shock 
that has awakened its expanding energies. It is the 
sensibility. A pleasurable emotion has touched the 
soul, and moved the will to express it by a smile. The 
child is growing. All its animal nature is now awak- 
ened to activity. Both soul and body are in the process 
of growth. Be careful now what you feed it. Both 
require wholesome food. Education has commenced. 
From this time to the end of its life, everything that 
attracts its attention, every influence that awakens a 
thought, an emotion, or a volition, will enter perma- 
nently into its life and become a part of its being; the 



106 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

whole to be summed up at the end in that weighty word, 
DESTINY. 

Look once more. The child is on its feet. Body and 
soul have been wonderfully devoloped. It runs from 
side to side of the room, "just for the fun of it," and 
does many other things for the same reason. What 
does that mean? It is God's method of knitting to- 
gether the muscular fibres that are produced by the food 
it eats. You observe the same in the kitten, the puppy, 
the lambs, the calves, the colts in the field. Body and 
soul are being developed together. 

It would require not a volume only, but a library to 
trace minutely the divine plan for the development of 
the soul. It must suffice to say that every fact and 
every law of nature — everything that we call science, 
acquaintance with which we call education, serves the 
same end — the growth of the soul, and the hard study 
necessary to obtain this knowledge is the play, the labor, 
by which the soul obtains strength of mind, as physical 
play and labor produce strength of muscle. If school- 
boys and schoolgirls understood this, they would not 
snivel and say, "I don't like arithmetic," when hard 
problems are to be solved. They would rejoice in the 
opportunity for strengthening their mental powers, 
gaining knowledge, and at the same time building up a 
glorious manhood. 

3. Years pass before any intimation of the presence 
of the embryo spirit is observable. The flesh makes its 
desires known, and the will responds with ready assent, 
until this becomes the habit of the soul. Parents who 
watch with so much interest the first manifestations of 
mind, and are so gratified with the increase of physical 
strength, are utterly oblivious to the first indications of 



MAN— WHAT? AND WHY? 107 

spiritual life. Many actually do not know there is any 
such thing ; and many who do know there will be a spir- 
itual life sometime take no thought of its first manifes- 
tations. There are, however, such manifestations, and 
they should be observed. We will suppose a case. 

A mother leaves the house and her little boy for an 
errand. The boy, unconscious of wrong, climbs upon 
a chair, and takes the sugar-bowl from the cupboard, 
and drops it on the floor. A pang of disappointment is 
the psychological result. With a heavy heart he picks 
up the fragments of the bowl and hides them; but the 
sugar on the floor cannot be hidden. He amuses him- 
self as well as he can with his favorite toys until the 
return of his mother. When she enters the door, does 
he, with a happy smile, run and meet her, and tell her 
what has happened ? Not a bit of it. He is too busy 
with his play to take any notice of her. For the first 
time in his life he does not want to see her. Of course 
the accident is soon discovered. When the mother 
speaks to him about it he denies it. "They go astray 
as soon as they are born speaking lies." This is the 
first intimation the unobservant, unfaithful mother has 
of the most important, the crowning element in the 
child's nature; and she does not know by what means to 
turn it to good account. Other similar events follow, 
and are excused because "he is only a child." Thus the 
spiritual growth of the child is, at its very beginning, 
blighted and stunted, and deformed for life. Such, with 
a few exceptions, is the condition of the human family 
to-day. 

How to remedy this state of things should be a dili- 
gent, thorough, conscientious study by every parent at 
this period of a child's life. As God has ordained 



108 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

means to every desirable end, and expects us to find 
them, there are surely means by which the spiritual 
growth of the human soul may have a healthy begin- 
ning. To suppose the contrary would be to impeach 
the wisdom and goodness of our Creator. I will not 
claim that I can solve the whole problem, but I will 
make three suggestions. 

1. Every parent should be more anxiously observant 
of the first manifestation of spiritual life than he is 
of the first indication of intellectual faculties. His 
most responsible duties commence that moment. 

2. As soon as the child shows any insubordination, 
say to it, That is wrong. You must not do wrong. 
These words may have no meaning to the understand- 
ing of the child at first, and submission must be en- 
forced ; not by punishment, but by coercion. The 
parent is stronger that the child. On the next occa- 
sion, and on every occasion, repeat the same admoni- 
tion. You must not do wrong. In a short time that 
word wrong will have a meaning more influential than 
a physical punishment, and of a very different and more 
wholesome nature. It will be a moral influence in- 
stead of a physical, promoting spiritual growth instead 
of mental fear. 

3. Take one step more at this point. After im- 
pressing upon the child's mind the idea that it must not 
do wrong, say to it, You must do right. Obedience 
to this precept will require a positive purpose, which 
the other does not. When this purpose is well formed 
in the child's mind, you have got the commencement 
of a spiritual growth that will have a dominating influ- 
ence over its whole life; an influence that will become 
stronger and still stronger, as its importance is realized 



MAN— WHAT? AND WHY? 109 

by the maturing judgment of the child, and the experi- 
ences of its benefit. A child so trained will become a 
man of principle. You must do right will ring in his 
soul to the end of his days here on the earth. If 
parents could realize how often, and how heartily, that 
man would thank God for that single lesson, and how 
often he would mention it to others in their praise, 
during his life, would they not feel well rewarded for 
the careful watching and persistent faithfulness it re- 
quired to engrave that precept upon the soul of their 
child? O father, mother, try it ; try it faithfully. The 
only way to do it is given us in Isaiah 28 : 10, "It is pre- 
cept upon precept, precept upon precept ; line upon line, 
line upon line ; here a little, there a little." "Train 
up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old 
he will not depart from it." Note, TRAIN up a child. 
Many good parents bring up their children, but do not 
train them up. There is a difference ; and that differ- 
ence will, I believe, account for every case where the 
children of good, Christian parents go to the bad. The 
promises of God may be depended upon. 

Still further ; when conscience is thus awakened, and 
the spiritual phone at the human end of the wireless 
telephone line between God and the human soul is 
attuned to harmony with the divine Spirit, the soul will 
early receive the message, "My son, give me thy heart ;" 
and its ready response will be, "When thou saidst, Seek 
ye my face, my heart replied, Thy face Lord will I seek." 
Happy are the parents who thus commence the spiritual 
education and growth of their children; and still hap- 
pier is the child that is thus early released from bond- 
age to the flesh, and brought under the dominion of the 
spirit ; even the Spirit of God. 



110 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

No one need be told that spiritual growth, and 
strength are more important than either physical or 
mental. Better a spiritual giant with ordinary mental 
ability and feeble body (though neither of these is desir- 
able, or ordinarily necessary) than the physical 
strength of a giant athlete, and the mental ability of the 
learned astronomer who said he had searched the whole 
heavens with his telescope, and could find no God. 
Let that which is most important receive most atten- 
tion. 

One more happy thought before leaving this great 
subject: As the physical sciences, and the ordinary 
problems of getting a living furnish the chief means 
of mental growth, so both these and the moral problems 
that are continually present to the soul that studies 
conscientiously the problems of a righteous life furnish 
the opportunities for the growth of the spiritual man. 
All the influences that enter into our lives and affect 
our choices cooperate to determine character and des- 
tiny. Each influence, whether favorable or adverse to 
our purpose, will be a savor of life to those who choose 
the way of life, aiding their progress on the upward 
grade, until, at the end of their journey, they reach 
the highest summit possible to them individually, which 
is illumined by the light that makes the future life glor- 
ious; and, whether favorable or adverse, a savor of 
death to those who choose the descending grade, whose 
end is the dead sea of eternal darkness and despair. 
God "will render to every man according to his works : 
to them that by patience in well-doing seek for glory 
and honor and incorruption, eternal life : but unto them 
that are factious, and obey not the truth, but obey un- 



MAN— WHAT? AND WHY? Ill 

righteousness, shall be wrath and indignation, tribula- 
tion and anguish, upon every soul of man that worketh 
evil." 

Surely man was made for a glorious end, constituted 
wisely and perfectly for the attainment of that end, but, 
that the responsibility might be all his own, left to 
make his own choice. Reader, choose the upward 
grade that leads to life; and may God bless you in all 
your experiences. 

ANGELS 

There is one class of intelligent beings whose origin 
is not mentioned in the Bible history of the creation. 
Since they have a substantial existence, they must 
have been created, but at what time we are not inform- 
ed. That they were created before the earth was 
formed seems evident from Job 38 : 4 and 7, "Where 
wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? 
.... When the morning stars sang together, and all 
the sons of God shouted for joy?" We shall have more 
to say about the angels in another chapter. 



CHAPTER VI 



OUR FATHER 



POPE said, 
"Know thou thyself, presume not God to scan ; 
The proper study of mankind is man." 

Jesus said, "That they may know thee, the only true 
God." 

Undoubtedly the sublimest study of mankind is God ; 
and we shall learn Him most advantageously and most 
truly if we study Him as Our Father. These words ex- 
press the relation of God to the whole human race. 
Jesus taught all men, "When ye pray say, Our Father." 
They also express the primary idea and motive of all the 
works of God. When "in the beginning God created 
the heavens and the earth," He was building a home 
for His family. As the whole universe had its origin 
in this idea, so every fact and every law and every 
created object connected with it and pertaining to it 
has its utility in the growth, development, perfection, 
and happiness of this family. The welfare of His fam- 
ily absorbs all His thoughts, purposes, and labors. He 
is Our Father in the fullest, largest, most literal sense 
possible. Like every true father, He lives for His chil- 
dren. That we may get a clear and impressive idea of 
the meaning of this wonderful relationship, let us 
notice its three particulars. 



114 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

1. The relation of father and child. This is the 
nearest kinship known. It is the only relation that 
cannot be sundered. Husband and wife may be sepa- 
rated for cause, and the relation completely dissolved; 
but nothing can dissolve the relation of parent and 
child. Feelings may be alienated, and social and bus- 
iness relations broken off, but the father is still father 
to the child, and the child is still the child of the same 
father. 

The duties imposed by this relation are mutual. They 
are mutual affection, mutual sympathy, mutual confi- 
dence, mutual familiarity, unselfish devotion on the 
part of each to the welfare and happiness of the other, 
and the enjoyment of the privileges and comforts of a 
common home. Anything that interferes with or hin- 
ders the full and free exercise of these duties and privi- 
leges is wrong, is sin. All sin is precisely of that 
nature. Note that. On this relation rests the first 
commandment, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with 
all thy heart, might, mind and strength." 

2. The next relation is that of provider and depend- 
ent. This relation imposes upon the Father the duty 
of providing for the child everything necessary for its 
growth, the supply of all its wants, and its general 
welfare. Of His providence for these needs we have 
already treated. What, now, are the obligations this 
relation imposes upon us ? Since we are so absolutely 
dependent upon His providence, since "every good and 
perfect gift cometh down from the Father/' the obliga- 
tion to gratitude and thankfulness must be admitted by 
all. This is one of the elements of prayer. When 
the soul recognizes this dependence, and responds grate- 
fully and thankfully, it naturally looks to the same 



OUR FATHER 115 

source for a supply when any want is felt: this leads 
directly to petition, which is another element of prayer. 
When our wants have been often supplied in this way, 
and the soul becomes impressed with a consciousness 
of the fatherly love and ample resources of our great 
Provider, could a truly human heart be restrained from 
breaking forth in ejaculations of praise? Here, then, 
we find, in our very nature, the foundation of all the 
elements of the most important characteristic of relig- 
ion. The soundness of this philosophy is proven by the 
worship of the sun, the earth, and the various forces of 
nature, by men who have no knowledge of Our Father, 
and of His methods of supplying the needs of His 
dependent children. In view of such facts, what shall 
we think of men and women, brought up in a Christian 
land, who never experience any emotions of gratitude, 
never express any thankfulness, never break forth in 
any ejaculations of praise, nor recognize in any prac- 
tical way their obligations to the great Giver of every 
good they ever experienced; while He — Our Father — 
"causes his sun to shine on the evil and the good, and 
sendeth rain upon the just and upon the unjust?" "O 
that men would praise Jehovah for his lovingkindness, 
and for his wonderful works to the children of men !" 

3. Ruler and subject. This relation offers for our 
study the most profound, most interesting, and most 
important questions with which the finite mind has to 
do. Upon the relation of parent and child are based 
both the idea and fundamental principles of all true 
government. The right and duty of one person to 
govern another are based upon the superior wisdom 
and altruism of a him whose right it is to rule." On 
this principle, which is distinctly stated by moral phi- 



116 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

losophers, and must be evident to all, no one will dis- 
pute the right and duty of Our Father, infinite in wis- 
dom and goodness, and supremely interested in and 
devoted to the welfare and happiness of His children, to 
assume the right to lay His commands upon them, and 
require of every child the strictest obedience to every 
command. This is the true and eternal foundation of 
the Kingdom of God. 



CHAPTER VII 



MORAL AGENCY 



IN preceding chapters we have had frequent occa- 
sion to refer to certain facts as pertaining to, or 
duties obligatory upon, man as a Moral Agent. 
At this point, before entering upon the study of the 
great questions that pertain to the Kingdom of God, 
and in order to the most advantageous study of those 
questions, it is necessary that we acquaint ourselves 
more fully with the nature and conditions of Moral 
Agency. The errors into which theologians have fallen 
respecting the Kingdom of God, errors that have 
caused the confusion that is so seriously crippling the 
progress of that Kingdom at the present time, have 
been due to ignorance of this crowning fact of the 
human life, the fact upon which the very idea of right 
and wrong is based. 

A MORAL AGENT 

The primary meaning of agent is actor. Every per- 
son is an agent. A person employed to do business for 
another is an agent in a secondary sense. With this 
we have nothing to do. A moral agent is a person 
whose acts or choices have moral character. Our 
inquiry is, What are the constitutional elements of such 
an agent? 



118 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

1. A moral agent must first be endowed with a kind 
and degree of intelligence that will enable him to un- 
derstand the nature and solemnity of a moral obliga- 
tion, and the consequences of disregarding it, from a 
simple precept. The brute learns what is required of 
him only from experience. He cannot be a moral 
agent. The services he is taught to render his master, 
man, are compulsory, not of his own volition. He 
submits from fear of unpleasant consequences. A 
moral agent apprehends the nature, importance, and 
sacredness of an obligation through a rational per- 
ception; and his act of obedience or disobedience will 
be intentional, in consideration of, or in disobedience 
to, his sense of obligation, as apprehended by his intel- 
ligence. For such acts the actor alone is accountable. 

2. Another constitutional element of a moral agent 
is what is called the Free Will, or the Will in Liberty. 
For the exercise of the Free Will there must be what 
is called an alternative. Two or more objects are 
before the mind, either or any one of which may be 
chosen. The soul, in making its choices under an 
alternative, is absolutely self-determining. It is able 
to defy any authority, human or divine. It may be 
influenced by reason or it may choose what is unreason- 
able, in spite of the most urgent appeals of reason. 
Whatever direful consequences may impend, however 
dreadful to the thought, however painful to the feelings, 
however torturing to the flesh, however maddening to 
the conscience, the soul, in the exercise of its freedom 
of choice, may still maintain an attitude of insubordi- 
nation, resistance, defiance. On the other hand, when 
it so determines, it is just as capable, just as independ- 
ent, just as immovable, in its choice of the good. In 



MOKAL AGENCY 119 

his possession of this godlike power lies the individual 
accountability of every moral agent. "So, then, every 
man must give account of himself to God." Few peo- 
ple seem to comprehend this wonderful sovereignty of 
the soul in the exercise of the will. God has so 
ordained that, in its choices of the right or the wrong, 
it is just as independent of His will as His will is inde- 
pendent of the will of man. Endowing man with this 
sovereign power was the culminating act of creation. 
It is the highest point in which man is created "in the 
likeness of God." God is a Moral Agent; and Moral 
Agency is the highest attribute of His nature of which 
we have, or can have, any conception. 

3. Though we have now the complete constitution 
of a Moral Agent, one more condition is necessary in 
order to a moral act ; that is, an opportunity to make a 
choice that has moral character. That condition is the 
presence of an alternative; which means an opportu- 
nity to do either right or wrong. This fact will explain 
one of the most mysterious events recorded in the 
history of man. Who has not asked, with wonder and 
surprise, Why did God plant a tree of forbidden fruit 
in the garden of Eden? Was it not a cruel, an 
unkind, a malevolent act, utterly inconsistent with 
fatherly love and infinite wisdom and benevolence, to 
place that tree, loaded with fruit that "was good for 
food," "a delight to the eyes," and the serpent said, "to 
be desired to make one wise," in the midst of the garden, 
and forbid our first parents to eat of it? Surely this 
must have been a blunder that compromises His wis- 
dom, or an act of malevolence that contradicts His 
goodness. 

Thus "bold, bad men" question the very existence of 



120 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

the Christian's God, because of their misunderstanding 
of this act of Providence ; while others, equally ignorant 
of the true meaning of the incident, will not allow their 
faith in God to be shaken even by what seems to them 
to contradict reason, observation, and experience. 

Turn now to Genesis 2 : 16, 17 and read, "And Jeho- 
vah God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree in 
the garden thou mayest freely eat : but of the tree of the 
knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: 
for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely 
die." 

This passage, containing the first moral precept ever 
given to man, when understood, is not only in conform- 
ity with my theory, but is a proof-text in support of it. 
Let us make a careful study of it. 

"Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat." 
These words are either a permission to eat of this 
among the other trees of the garden, or a statement of 
what is possible. That it is not intended as a permis- 
sion is evident from the command that follows, "Thou 
shalt not eat of it." It must, then, be a statement of 
their freedom of choice as moral agents to eat or let it 
alone; which was the exact truth of the case. They 
could obey the command, or they could disobey it. If 
they chose to disobey the command, and disregard the 
warning given with it, it was their privilege as moral 
agents, but they would surely die. This is Moral 
Agency exactly. 

But why? What was the reason, we may say the 
necessity, of placing this opportunity before tbem? I 
do not call it a temptation, for it was not a temptation. 
Every feature of a temptation was canceled by the fear- 
ful warning. It was simply that there might be ai* 



MORAL AGENCY 121 

alternative. Most people have yet to learn that right 
and wrong constitute the alternative in whose presence 
we always stand, and must stand if we will have moral 
character. An opportunity to do right is always an 
opportunity to do wrong; and an opportunity to do 
wrong, or even a temptation, is an opportunity to do 
right. It was to give them an opportunity to do right, 
to be obedient to the command of their Creator and 
Father, that the opportunity to disobey was given them. 
Had they obeyed, great joy and blessing would have 
come to them. "The smile of the Lord is the feast of 
the soul." "Thy favor is life." The loss of that favor, 
which they surely experienced, is death. 

Before leaving this incident note that this was a neg- 
ative command. It did not require them to do some 
hard service. All they had to do was to let the fruit of 
that tree alone. It is thus that moral life begins. Self- 
denial first ; the performance of great service, the carry- 
ing of great responsibilities later. 

Respecting this transaction one question has often 
been asked me, to which, although it is already answer- 
ed, I will give a moment's attention. It is this, "If 
there must be opportunity to sin, why did not God make 
man so that he could not sin?" That is equivalent to 
asking, Why did not God make man a brute? My 
answer is, He had already made all the brutes He 
wanted : all that were necessary to the completeness of 
His plan. 

There is another foolish question that it may be well 
enough to answer. When asked if I believe the 
account of the temptation and fall, as given in the third 
chapter of Genesis, to be veritable history, I answer, I 
certainly do. The alternative necessary to a choice 



122 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

between doing right or wrong must have been placed 
before them in some form. A thousand other ways 
would have answered the purpose just as well, only one 
of which was necessary. This was very simple, very 
natural, and perfect as a test of their loyalty. It is 
recorded to acquaint the world with the fact of the 
moral agency of every person, and the method of test- 
ing the loyalty of each. Something is forbidden to be 
done, or commanded to be done. Under these circum- 
stances what could have been gained by giving a ficti- 
tious account of the event, when the truth would answer 
the purpose just as well? Is it like God to employ a 
lie to teach an important principle in morals? Are 
not facts better adapted to teach morals than fables? 
Did God test the loyalty of Adam and Eve in such a 
manner that He deemed it best to hide the facts in the 
case, and reveal the nature of the transaction by means 
of a falsehood? What strange methods foolish people 
resort to in their insane determination to find fault 
with the Bible! "The FOOL hath said in his heart, 
There is no God." 



CHAPTER VIII 



THE KINGDOM OF GOD 



WE are now prepared to set up in our minds the 
Kingdom of God, as we think He has consti- 
tuted it. If we have traced the progress of 
events correctly up to the present point, the Kingdom 
of God consists of the Supreme Self-existent Being, 
whose name is Jehovah, His pre-existent Son, the 
angels, and the human race. Each of these must be 
considered somewhat at length. 

1. Our King. Of the existence of God, His nature, 
His personality, and His Necessary Attributes, we have 
already treated. We come now to consider Him in His 
relations to us personally. In these relations we dis- 
cover first that He is a Moral Agent. In His personal 
relations with other intelligences, and in His dealings 
with them, He manifests and exercises moral attributes, 
which are possible only to a Moral Agent. This is one 
of the great and fundamental facts, of which the world 
has been and still is practically ignorant. Only a 
short time ago I said to an intelligent, scholarly, popu- 
lar pastor of a large city church that God could not 
have moral attributes if He were not a Moral Agent, 
and he replied, "Well, I never thought of that." That 
God possesses the intelligence and the free will neces- 
sary to a Moral Agent, no one will dispute. That there 



124 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

is any danger of His ever sinning, every one will dis- 
pute; but when asked, Why is there no such danger? 
almost without exception the immediate answer would 
be, "Because He cannot;" not realizing that, if that 
were the case, moral character would be to Him an im- 
possibility. God could not be holy, if it were impossible 
for Him to sin. Every form of moral virtue is the 
product of refusal to do wrong, whether in man or in 
God. But I am reminded that the Scripture says, God 
cannot lie. Yes ! I remember, too, that George Wash- 
ington, on a certain occasion, said to his father, "You 
know I cannot tell a lie." Did he speak of a natural 
impossibility, or a moral purpose ? Our great American 
wit, called Mark Twain, is credited with saying, "I am 
a better man than Washington ; he could not tell a lie ; I 
can, but won't." There was both genuine wit and sound 
philosophy in that. 

God's Moral Attributes are as numerous as His 
methods of manifesting His fatherly love and care for 
His numerous family, but they may all be classified 
under the one all-embracing attribute LOVE. In his 
"Lectures on Systematic Theology," published in Lon- 
don, England, 1851, Rev. Charles Grandison Finney, 
the most acute and logical Christian philosopher of the 
nineteenth century, enumerates, under this head, thirty- 
seven attributes, all of which He exercises in the 
management of His Kingdom. However, in our studies 
of the kingdom, we shall have occasion to refer to only 
two of them — Justice and Mercy. 

The first moral attribute we need mention is Justice. 
In the administration of justice, God renders impar- 
tially and in full measure to every subject of His King- 
dom just what he or she merits or deserves. A seeming 



THE KINGDOM OF GOD 125 

modification of this statement is found in the fact of 
His forbearance and "longsuffering" with offenders, in 
order to give them opportunity to turn from their evil 
ways and live. This is, however, no modification of 
justice, for the extreme desert of sin is never merited 
until the final choice is made ; and pending this decision 
every offender is fully aware of the displeasure of his 
Father and King, and suffers accordingly. Justice 
demands that the offender shall have opportunity to 
repent. 

The twin sister of Justice is Mercy. It is a great 
mistake to suppose that these two attributes are antag- 
onistic to each other. On the contrary, they are both 
attributes of Love, and work harmoniously together in 
all God's dealings with His offending subjects. Justice 
never demands punishment of an offender until Mercy 
consents; and Mercy never delivers an offender from 
punishment until Justice unites with her in demanding 
his release. This will be treated more fully under the 
head of Rewards and Punishments. 

2. Occupying the second place in the organization 
of the kingdom is the Son, called the Word. Of His 
origin and nature we have already treated in Chapter 
III. We come now to notice Him as a member of this 
family, and an official in this family-kingdom. Since 
He is "the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of 
all creation," having natural endowments superior to 
any other member of the family except the Father, and 
having proved Himself trustworthy by His perfect 
faithfulness in the positions of responsibility He had 
already occupied, He is of right and worthiness made 
Prime Minister of the kingdom. That He is a Moral 
Agent needs no further discussion; and that as such 



126 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

He has established for Himself a moral character of 
the very highest grade is evident from His own declara- 
tion, John 8 : 20, "I do always the things that are pleas- 
ing to him" — the Father. Also John 5 : 30, "I seek 
not mine own will, bnt the will of him that sent me;" 
and John 4 : 34, "My meat is to do the will of him that 
sent me." If these words are true, (and His whole life 
is witness to their truth), the moral attributes that 
belong to the Father belong to the Son also. His char- 
acter is faultless. All the malicious enmity that has 
existed against Him since His advent into this world, 
nineteen hundred years ago, has failed to find a single 
fault or weakness in His works, or His spirit. But 
mark ! these attributes belong to Him not by virtue of 
His divine nature, nor as the gift of the Father, but 
because of His own voluntary choice of the right instead 
of the wrong; the good instead of the evil; the benevo- 
lent instead of the selfish ; the altruistic instead of the 
egoistic; all of which involved self-sacrifice instead of 
self-gratification; prompted by love of others instead 
of love for self. Love is the root from which every 
virtue grows. 

In this exalted position of Prime Minister in the 
Kingdom of God, He is, the executive Deity. In His 
nature and constitution He is Deity — wholly divine. 
Officially He is the executive officer of the government. 
The Father has planned all things. The execution of 
the plan is committed to the Son. The Father is the 
architect of the entire sublime structure ; the Son is the 
master mechanic, to whom is committed the erection 
and completion of the edifice. This idea is abundantly 
supported by 1 Cor. 8 : 6, "To us there is but one God, 
the Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him; 



THE KINGDOM OF GOD 127 

and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and 
we by him." He superintended the creation; "All 
things were made through him." He is the executive 
Savior; "Him did God exalt with his right hand to be 
a prince and Savior." He is also to be our final Judge : 
"He (God) hath appointed a day, in which he will 
judge the world in righteousness, by the man whom he 
hath ordained, of whom he hath given assurance unto 
all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead." 

There is yet one other form of superintendence of the 
affairs of men, not definitely named in the Scriptures, 
as being performed by the Son, and yet I think fairly 
implied. Since all these works are assigned to the 
Son, I can see no reason for supposing that the Father 
has reserved to Himself exclusively what may be termed 
providence — the general superintendence of human 
affairs. That there has always been such a general 
superintendence is evident, for the Bible, from Genesis 
to Kevelation, is a history of such supervision ; and the 
history of the race, individually and nationally, is more 
the record of God's dealings with men than of their 
dealings with one another. In the beginning the crea- 
tion is attributed to Elohim (God). In the second 
and third chapters of Genesis, Yahveh Elohim (Jehovah 
God) "made earth and heaven," "formed man of the 
dust of the ground," "planted a garden eastward, in 
Eden," gave Adam "a helpmeet," forbade them to eat of 
the fruit of "the tree of the knowledge of good and 
evil," and held various personal conversations with 
them, apparently face to face. Through all the rest of 
the Hebrew Scriptures, Yahveh and Elohim are used 
interchangeably, without any apparent discrimination. 

To these facts add certain passages in the New Testa- 



128 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

ment — "All things were made through him," and that 
extraordinary passage, Col. 1 : 16, 17, "In him were all 
things created, in the heavens and upon the earth, 
things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or 
dominions or principalities or powers; all things have 
been created through him and unto him; and he is be- 
fore all things, and in him all things consist" — hold 
together. The establishing of thrones, dominions, 
principalities, and powers come under the head of provi- 
dence, the superintendence of all human affairs. Put- 
ting all these facts and circumstances together, I cannot 
resist the conviction that the Jehovah of the Old Testa- 
ment is the Christ of the New. 

This conviction is still further strengthened by 
Hebrew 1 : 8, "Unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O 
God, is for ever and ever," explained by Hebrew 1 : 4, 
"He hath inherited a more excellent name than they" 
(the angels). This name can be no other than God; 
and God's name is Jehovah. Thus I find it was the 
Son, under the significant name of the Father, Jehovah, 
who talked face to face with Adam, Cain, Noah, Abra- 
ham, Moses, Joshua, and other Old Testament worthies. 
It was He who wrestled with Jacob, and who met 
Joshua with a drawn sword, announcing Himself as 
"the Prince of Jehovah's host," before whom Joshua 
"fell on his face and worshipped." There is also some- 
thing peculiarly significant and interesting in the man- 
ner of His answer to Joshua, as well as in the whole 
incident. Read Joshua 5 : 13, 14, "It came to pass, 
when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his 
eyes and looked; and, behold, there stood a man over 
against him, with a sword drawn in his hand; and 
Joshua went unto him and said unto him, Art thou for 



THE KINGDOM OF GOD 129 

us or for our adversaries? and he said, Nay; but as 
Prince of the host of Jehovah am I now come." Be- 
sides the heaven-born courage of Joshua, note that little 
word "now." In that word I read that Joshua, who 
was Moses' constant attendant when he held conversa- 
tions with Jehovah at the door of the tabernacle, recog- 
nized the personality of the stranger, in the reply he 
made to his inquiry as to which side he belonged, and 
that fact was also recognized by the other; so by that 
word "now" Joshua understands, "I have come to you 
before on other business ; I come now "as Prince of the 
host of Jehovah." 

Truth is light; and it is noteworthy how often a 
newly-discovered truth throws light upon cognate ques- 
tions, concerning which there may be doubt, or at least 
lack of clear understanding. In fact, new theories 
supercede old ones only when they are able to account 
for facts and phenomena that were inexplicable by the 
old. It was this principle that enabled the Copernican 
theory of astronomy to supplant the Ptolemaic; and 
that we believe will show that our theory of the King- 
dom of God is superior to the theory that has prevailed 
during the last sixteen hundred years. 

The discrepancy to which we refer is that "No man 
hath seen God at any time," and that Moses and Joshua 
and others have talked with God — Jehovah-God — on 
various occasions, face to face. If we remember that 
a begotten son inherits legitimately the name of his 
father, we shall see how Jehovah, the Son, talked with 
Adam, Cain, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and others. This 
theory also makes several New Testament passages in- 
telligible and impressive. Phil. 2 : 9, "God highly 
exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above 



130 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

every name." Hebrews 1 : 4, 8, 9, "Having become by so 
much better than the angels, as he hath inherited a more 
excellent name than they." .... "To the Son he saith, 
Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever," .... "God, 
thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness 
above thy fellows." If there is any meaning in all 
these facts, circumstances, and references, it can be 
none other than that the Christ of the New Testament 
is the Jehovah of the Old; and "the Word was God," 
the Word was divine, and the Word was Deity, are 
synonymous propositions, with equal propriety applied 
to the Son, whether in His pre-existent state, as the 
executive Creator, or here on earth, "the Son of Man," 
— the executive Savior; or sitting at the right hand 
of the Father in heaven — the executive Ruler, possess- 
ing "all authority in heaven and on earth." The dis- 
crepancy disappears. "No man hath seen God (the 
Father) at any time;" but, in all ages, God, the Son, 
Jehovah, has held personal interviews, face to face, with 
His chosen servants. 

Again, Jesus' meaning when He said, John 10 : 30, 
"I and the Father are one," and John 14 : 9, "He that 
hath seen me hath seen the Father," becomes not only 
plain but positive. How these passages should ever 
have been interpreted to signify the personal identity 
of the two, is marvelously strange; but in the light 
of the above discussion such an interpretation is impos- 
sible. Sameness of substance; perfect agreement in 
plan, in purpose, in the end sought, in judgment as to 
the means to be employed, together with the perfect 
submission of the will of the one to the will of the other, 
and the right of the Son to be called by the Father's 
name, and the exercise by the Son, by authority of the 



THE KINGDOM OF GOD 131 

Father, of all the Father's powers, constitute a unity 
that fully justifies either in saying, We are one. He 
who has seen either officially, or has become acquainted 
with the character of either, has seen the other. Their 
oneness is not in personality, but in their nature and 
voluntarily harmonious co-working in all things. "No 
one hath seen God at any time ; the only begotten Son, 
who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared 
him," made him known. 

The propriety of offering prayer and other forms of 
worship to the Son, though abundantly evident from 
other considerations, is also placed beyond all question. 
It needs no further discussion. 

3. Angels. The members of this family that next 
claim our attention are "an innumerable company of 
angels." Of the creation of the angels we treated in a 
former chapter. At this point we need only mention 
them as members of this wonderful family. What kind 
of creatures are they? and what purpose do they serve 
in this kingdom? 

The only word used in the Scriptures to indicate the 
constitution of angels is spirit. They are called "min- 
istering spirits." But spirit alone does not express 
either life or intelligence. In all our studies we have 
found these to be located in the soul. The brute con- 
sists of soul and material body. Its intelligence must 
be in the soul, since there can be no intelligence in pure 
matter. Man consists of soul, material body, and 
spirit; but his life and intelligence are in his soul, the 
spirit being his spiritual body (See Chapter V). God 
consists of soul and spirit, the soul being the seat of 
intelligence (See Chapter II). I therefore infer from 
analogy that all intelligences in the spirit world consist 



132 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

of soul and spirit; the soul (including the life and the 
intelligence) dwelling in a spirit-body. Hence the 
angels are so constituted. 

They are "ministering spirits." They seem to be 
the messengers of the executive Deity; ready at a mo- 
ment's call, to go on any mission it may please Him to 
send them. "Sent forth to do service for the sake of 
them that shall inherit salvation." They do not reside 
with us here on the earth; they are "sent forth/' "to 
minister to them that shall inherit salvation." Their 
mission is to aid those who are truly and faithfully en- 
deavoring to "work out their own salvation" against 
such odds that they need divine assistance in order to 
succeed. In the history of our race as recorded in the 
Scriptures, we find that they have been sent on some 
very important errands, and have performed important 
services; but the responsible duties required of men 
have never been laid upon them. They rear no children, 
and know nothing of the responsibilities of civil govern- 
ments. They simply do what they are bidden. 

That they are moral agents is evident, for some of 
them are called "holy angels," while others are called 
"evil spirits," "unclean spirits," "demons," and one of 
them, who seems to be the leader of "the angels that 
fell," is called "the dragon, the old serpent, the devil, 
and Satan." Satan seems to be his name, while his 
other titles are appellatives expressive of his character. 
Of their conduct as members of this family and citizens 
of the kingdom we shall treat later. 

4. Man. The next class of members of this family 
and citizens of the kingdom is the human race. Man 
was the last, the highest, the noblest, the most perfect, 
of the ascending grade of God's creative works; the 



THE KINGDOM OF GOD 133 

only one of them all who bears the image, and is en- 
dowed with the intellectual and moral faculties of his 
Creator. He is possessed of two lives, the animal and 
the spiritual; the one adapted to his condition and 
necessities in this world, while the other, having its 
beginning in this world, is adapted to the conditions 
and glories of a blessed life in the world to come. For 
the animal life, man is furnished with a material body, 
in which he is allied to other animals ; and for the spir- 
itual life he is furnished with a spiritual body, through 
which the soul becomes acquainted with spiritual 
things, and exercises spiritual functions, in the same 
manner as it becomes acquainted with material things 
and exercises material functions through the material 
body. Thus situated he is obliged to elect to which 
life he will be supremely devoted, by which election he 
determines his destiny in the world to come. "Fear- 
fully and wonderfully made." 

Grave responsibilities are laid upon them in this life, 
in their relations with their offspring and their fellow 
mortals ; by the faithful discharge of which, they prove 
their trustworthiness for still greater responsibilities in 
the life that awaits them when they leave the present 
for the future state. 

We have now, so far as our knowledge extends, a 
complete statement of the membership of our Father's 
family and kingdom, at the time when the history of 
our race commences. We have also an idea of the 
constitution, capabilities, and employment, and normal 
condition morally of each individual. We shall next 
consider the working of this government, constituted 
as described. 



CHAPTER IX 



NATURE OP THIS GOVERNMENT 



IN determining the nature of the government of the 
Kingdom of God, Moral Agency is the supremely 
potential factor. We have seen that every mem- 
ber of this kingdom is a child of its King. This is 
especially the case with the human race, to whom espe- 
cially this discussion applies just now. Created in His 
image and likeness God claims us all as His children. 
Jesus taught all men to say "Our Father." Our King 
then is a Father-King; and His subjects are children- 
subjects. The government, then, is patriarchal. The 
Kingdom of God is a Family Government. From the 
view-point of Our Father, and in the light of this rela- 
tion, we shall study its nature. 

The fundamental error out of which grew the theo- 
logical absurdities that have experienced such seismic 
disturbances within the past century, was that the 
Kingdom of God is an Absolute Monarchy ; its King an 
arbitrary Sovereign; its laws edicts of authority; and 
its authority based upon the almightiness of its King; 
in fact, a Military Despotism. The King did every- 
thing for His own glory, to exploit His authority, and 
display His almighty power. It was held theoretically 
that the King was wise and good ; at the same time the 
demands of Justice in that government were so unre- 



136 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

lenting that in order to deliver a penitent offender from 
the extreme penalty of the law, designed for the incor- 
rigible only, the Father demanded that His "beloved 
Son, in whom He was well pleased," though innocent 
of any offense, should die as an atoning sacrifice, to 
appease His wrath, and make it possible for Him to 
pardon that penitent offender; also to release unborn 
infants from guilt because their ancestors, several 
thousand years ago, ate a sour apple, or a green per- 
simmon, or something of that sort, in the garden of 
Eden. 

From the view-point of Our Father, and in the light 
of the nature of moral agency, we discover a very dif- 
ferent sort of government. As stated above, the King- 
dom of God is a Family Government, every member of 
which is a Moral Agent. Everything pertaining to it — 
the laws enacted by its Sovereign, and the deeds per- 
formed by its subjects, must be studied and interpreted 
in accordance with this fact. 

With this key to the situation, it is easy to under- 
stand that the laws promulgated by our Father-King 
are not arbitrary edicts, issued "By virtue of authority 
vested in me as the Supreme Ruler of the universe," 
but precepts of instruction, prompted by parental love, 
dictated in infinite wisdom, perfectly adapted to the 
nature, necessities, well-being and happiness of His 
children. The imperative to obedience is not found in 
fear of punishment, but in grateful, filial love to the 
Father who has so kindly instructed His children, not 
simply as to His will, but as to what is necessary to 
their welfare and happiness. The reason recognized 
by the subject for obedience will be the same that 
moved the Sovereign to utter the precept. That and 



NATURE OF THIS GOVERNMENT 137 

that only is true, filial, loyal obedience. Performing 
what is commanded for fear of punishment is not obe- 
dience in the Kingdom of God, if it is in the kingdoms 
of men. When the gospel of the kingdom is preached 
on this wise, young people, when appealed to to become 
filial, loyal subjects of this kingdom, will not reply, 
"Not yet, I want to enjoy myself awhile first;" nor will 
any, young or old, become Christians in order to go to 
heaven when they die. 

This is a system of government that even children 
can understand, and a relationship that can be made 
attractive to them in the highest degree. When they 
are taught in very infancy that God is a loving Father ; 
that all their pleasures, happiness, and prosperity are 
found in obeying all His wise and loving precepts ; and 
that every law of nature and of their own being is one 
of His precepts, what an impetus it will be to study 
nature, and acquaint themselves with the laws of life 
and health ; thus occupying their minds at an early age 
with profitable thought and most ravishing study 
instead of dime novels and cigarettes. 

Correct the disgraceful doctrine that God, Our 
Father, is an arbitrary Sovereign, doing all things for 
His own glory, and that His service is detrimental to the 
enjoyment of life, and you will take from the sinner 
his last excuse, and drive him from his last "refuge of 
lies." 

A most important and significant fact connected with 
God's laws, that verifies the theory I have advanced 
respecting them, is that the primary meaning of the 
Hebrew torah, uniformly translated law, is instruction. 

From this point of view we also get the divine idea 
of rewards and punishments. The doctrine of arbi- 



138 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

trary sovereignty is the error out of which grew the 
corresponding doctrine of arbitrary rewards and venge- 
ful punishments. In most minds, even to-day, impris- 
onment and the death penalty are inflicted by govern- 
ments because their authority has been disregarded 
and their dignity offended. Let us spend a little time 
in a careful analysis of the rewards and punishments 
found in the divine government, as seen from the 
view-point of Our Father. 

1. One very gratifying reward of loyalty to this 
kingdom is the pleasing consciousness of filial regard 
for, the approving smile and good-will of, the Father- 
Sovereign. On the other hand, the penalty of disloy- 
alty is the dissatisfying and peace-destroying conscious- 
ness of unfilial, selfish, unworthy, shameful disregard 
of parental love and devotion; and the well-merited 
displeasure of the same Father-Sovereign. Both these 
are simply the result of the law of cause and effect. 
"Great peace have they that love thy law." "The wages 
of sin is death." 

2. Another reward of loyal obedience is a peaceable, 
prosperous, happy community ; while the penalty of dis- 
obedience is crime, wrangling, violence, and every form 
of selfishness and misery known. 

3. Another most valuable, rich, and precious reward 
of loyalty is the noble character it builds. Every fac- 
ulty of the soul is enlarged, expanded, broadened, 
ennobled, resulting in a character that is not only ap- 
proved in heaven but admired on earth. These are the 
men whose names stand high on the scroll of fame, as 
benefactors of the race; men who have made the world 
better, and will be remembered gratefully through all 
time for their noble deeds. "A nation mourns a hero ; 



NATURE OF THIS GOVERNMENT 139 

but the whole world mourns when a good man dies." 
This reward is within the reach of every human soul ; 
and no soul should fail to be worthy of it. Reader, 
that means you. The penalty of an unworthy life, 
that stands over against this reward, I will not try to 
paint. The coloring of the picture would be too dark ; 
the sight of it too revolting. Enough to say, It is 
worse than physical death. Let every person avoid 
incurring it, that no one may ever know what it is. 

4. Another reward of righteousness in God's Family 
Government is continual promotion to places of en- 
larged responsibility and usefulness, as increased fitness 
is attained. This is a wonderful provision, one that 
seems to me never to have been fully apprehended, and 
never to have received the attention it is worthy of and 
demands. Many are disposed to shirk responsibility, 
and many, on whom responsibilities have been laid, 
complain bitterly of the care and labor required of 
them. A careful study of this matter will show that 
the responsibi Cities that are laid upon us are among 
the greatest sources of our happiness. What is there 
more gratifying to a man who has confidence in his 
qualifications, Than an appointment by the government 
to a responsible position in the management of its 
affairs ? Think you that Daniel and his three youthful 
companions complained of the care and worry of the 
position to which they were exalted by the King of 
Babylon? 

It is a fixed principle in the government of the 
Kingdom of God that every faithful, loyal person in it 
shall be continually kept in the most responsible posi- 
tion for which he or she is qualified, and to which his 
trustworthiness entitles him. "Take heed, therefore, 



140 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

how ye hear; for whosoever hath, to him shall be given." 
"He that is fatbful in a very little is faithful also in 
much." This is the principle on which God is dealing 
out rewards now and here, and will be the same then 
and there. "Thou hast been faithful over a few things, 
I will set thee over many things." "Have thou author- 
it} 7 over ten cities." "Inherit the kingdom prepared 
for you." Do not these passages mean responsibility 
in the future life? 

Herein is found the highest motive known to mortals, 
the divine motive, to learn, to grow, to be faithful in 
all the duties of life: in short, to make all they can of 
themselves, both in ability and character, that God 
may use them in promoting the interests of His King- 
dom, both in the present and in the future life. 

Directly over against these rewards for faithfulness 
lie the penalties for unfaithfulness. "From him that 
hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken away." 
"Oast ye out the unprofitable servant into the outer 
darkness ; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing 
of teeth." Alas, alas! what intolerable disappoint- 
ments that means! Every man, every woman, will 
find a position of responsibility in the future kingdom 
for which his or her qualifications fit them, provided 
faithfulness over the responsibilities of this life has 
shown them to be trustworthy : but the highest possible 
degree of ability will avail nothing without trustworthi- 
ness. To such God will say, "You are capable of doing 
great service in my kingdom, but I cannot trust you. 
I have no use for you." Dear reader, weigh yourself 
in that balance; and may God grant that you be not 
found wanting ! 

5. Up to this point the penalties noted have followed 



NATURE OF THIS GOVERNMENT 141 

neglect of duty, or willful disobedience, by the unalter- 
able law of cause and effect. They express the dis- 
pleasure of Our Father, but they have not reached the 
point of positive infliction. Many, noting this fact, 
have carried their inquiries no farther, and are teach- 
ing that there are no positive inflictions of punishment 
in the divine government. This is the taproot of an- 
archy. One of the working maxims of a distinguished 
anarchist in this free land of ours to-day is, "Men are 
punished by their sins, not for them." I found the 
following a few years ago in a religious paper, publish- 
ed by a leading denomination in this free country : "No 
punishment can be consistently sanctioned by Christian 
people, except such as may be consistently denominated 
reformatory." 

They who teach such doctrines forget that one of the 
obligations of every government, human or divine, fam- 
ily government included, is to protect the innocent, the 
peaceable, the filial, the loyal, from predatory, mali- 
cious, damaging intrusion, by those who may be evil 
disposed, and have become a menace to the rights, 
liberties, lives, and welfare of community. When sub- 
jects of any government have reached such a state of 
depravity, enmity, and conscienceless incorrigibility, 
even in a single individual, a new function of govern- 
ment, having its origin and motive in the same fatherly 
love, is imperatively demanded ; and has been provided 
for in the perfect plan of our infinitely wise and good 
Father-King. 

True parental love is something more than sickly 
sentimental sympathy for offenders; that quails at the 
idea of arresting, by painful means if necessary, such 
selfish, malicious, diabolical, reckless conduct. Par- 



142 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

ental love is not limited to unfilial, ungrateful, 
unthankful, disloyal children. It demands that the 
faithful and loyal shall be protected from the depreda- 
tions and corrupting influences of others who are evil 
disposed : and it is a solemn obligation resting upon the 
father of a family, whether human or divine, to exercise 
his right of sovereignty for their protection. Here we 
find the necessity for positive and forceful governmental 
measures. Such desperados have forfeited all their 
rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," 
and have no claim upon the government for civil priv- 
ileges of any kind. For this desperate condition it is the 
duty of every civil government to provide; and that 
provision is found in the divine government as well 
as in all human governments. The only treatment 
possible is forcible arrest. Being enemies to society, 
having no regard for the rights of their fellow-citizens, 
and no loyalty to the government, it becomes a deplor- 
able necessity to deprive them of their liberty, if not 
of life. Hence the necessity of officers, whose duty 
it is to arrest them; courts of justice to inquire into 
the truthfulness of complaints brought against them; 
state prisons in which to confine them if found guilty ; 
and, in extreme cases, to determine by what means 
they shall be deprived of life itself. 

These are not malicious devices for wreaking venge- 
ance on an unfortunate offender, but benevolent meas- 
ures whose only object, properly understood, is to pro- 
tect the lives, liberty, rights, welfare, and happiness of 
those who have not forfeited their right to these nat- 
ural privileges of citizenship. 

In all these particulars, human governments have the 
divine government for their example and authority. 



NATURE OF THIS GOVERNMENT 143 

God's Family Government is fully provided with its 
police, its courts of justice, its state prison, and its 
death penalty. This is just what the Psalmist had in 
mind when he wrote Psalms 9 : 16-18, "Jehovah hath 
made himself known; he hath executed judgment; the 
wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. The 
wicked shall be turned back unto Sheol, and all the na- 
tions that forget God." 

Jesus also meant the same when He said, Matthew 
10 : 28, "Fear him who is able to destroy both soul and 
body in hell." Hell is God's state prison. It is not 
instituted for the malicious purpose of inflicting penal, 
painful punishment, but to prevent depraved, incorrig- 
ible fiends, who would neither be warned by the conse- 
quences foretold before they commenced their down- 
ward course ; nor reformed by the suffering that follow- 
ed their first offenses ; but, in the exercise of their free- 
dom of choice, defied the Almighty, from interfering 
with the peace, prosperity, and happiness of the well- 
meaning and loyal members of the family and govern- 
ment. It is a benevolent institution — benevolent not 
only to the true and loyal but to the criminal as well. 
It is true kindness to him to be confined where he can- 
not indulge his own fiendishness. God's state prison 
is really an asylum for the incurably insane — the irre- 
deemably depraved. The suffering incident thereto is 
due to the natural law of cause and effect; and the 
cause is in themselves. 

Directly at this point lies another damaging error. 
Many, in view of the fact that every offender is the 
author of his own misery, assert with great positiveness, 
"God has nothing to do with it." Replying to this 
remark, often heard from the lips of ministers of the 



1U THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

gospel, mistakenly supposing they are vindicating God 
from the accusation of unfatherliness, I would ask, 
Have human governments nothing to do with placing 
such characters behind prison walls? Bad men do not 
incarcerate themselves, that loyal citizens may live in 
peace and safety. By no means. The strong hand 
of the government is laid upon them, with positive 
intent to arrest them, to convict, and condemn them 
by due process of law, and carry them by force to the 
place prepared for them. The same is true in the 
government of God. The incorrigible sinner is arrest- 
ed, arraigned before the judgment seat, condemned, 
sentenced, and incarcerated in God's state prison. 
"These shall go away into eternal punishment." It is 
true, the offender alone is to be blamed; but it is not 
true that God has nothing to do with it. Nor is that 
true of anything else. "Not a sparrow falls to the 
ground without his notice." 

6. Another positive function of the government, that 
should not be passed unnoticed, is its provision that he 
who has damaged his neighbor, whether ignorantly, 
carelessly, or intentionally, shall make restitution for 
the same. This function was expressed in the Mosaic 
law, in the precept, Exodus 21 : 23-25, "Thou shalt give 
life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, 
foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, 
stripe for stripe." Some self-styled scholars of the 
present day, who have taken unwarrantable liberty 
with the Scriptures, have advanced the idea that this 
precept is set aside by Jesus in His Sermon on the 
Mount, Matthew 5 : 38, "Ye have heard that it was said, 
An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth; but I say 
unto you, Resist not him that is evil; but whosoever 



NATURE OF THIS GOVERNMENT 145 

smiteth you on the right cheek, turn to him the other 
also." Now my judgment is that Jesus had no such 
intention. He was not setting aside the precepts of 
the law in this discourse, but correcting the prevailing 
misuse of those precepts. At the beginning of the dis- 
course He states this plainly. The seventeenth verse 
reads, "Think not that I came to destroy the law or the 
prophets; I came not to destroy, but to fulfil." He 
then assures them that, "Till heaven and earth pass 
away, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away 
from the law, till all things be accomplished." Con- 
fining ourselves to this particular precept, we shall find : 

a. That the precept was given to Moses as a rule by 
which judges should assess damages, in cases that came 
before them for adjudication. No one can err on this 
point who examines the passages referred to in their 
connection. 

h. It is equally plain, by its connection, as well as 
by Jesus' own words, that He was correcting their mis- 
understanding and misuse of this precept, by taking 
the law into their own hands, and avenging themselves 
individually, according to its literal reading. The 
judges could execute it literally when the case seemed 
to demand it; or use it as a principle, in determining 
in what manner restitution for damages of the kind 
mentioned, or any other, should be made. Its shock- 
ing provisions, as they stand, only indicate the state of 
barbarism in which the world was at that time — like 
the law of divorce, with which Jesus dealt in another 
paragraph. 

c. That Jesus did not intend to annul this principle 
of adjudication is evident from Matthew 5 : 25, 26, 
"Agree with thine adversary quickly, while thou art 



146 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

with him in the way; lest haply the adversary deliver 
thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the offi- 
cer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, 
Thou shalt by no means come out thence, until thou 
have paid the last farthing." Damages must be restored. 

7. There is yet one function of the divine govern- 
ment that should be mentioned under the head of Re- 
wards and Penalties. For a penitent offender there 
is pardon and complete restoration to the favor of the 
Sovereign ; but for the impenitent there is no such par- 
don and restoration. Both of these, like the foregoing, 
are positive acts of the Sovereign. They are condi- 
tioned; but the conditions in neither case are of the 
nature of the cause from which the results follow as a 
consequence. 

The condition of pardon is penitence and confession. 
2 Corinthians 7 : 10, "Godly sorrow worketh repentance 
unto salvation." 1 John 1 : 9, "If we confess our sins 
he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins." 
Proverbs 28 : 13, "He that covereth his transgressions 
shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and forsaketh 
them shall obtain mercy." This is the only condition 
God has ever made for forgiveness and restoration to 
His favor and to all the privileges and advantages of 
His kingdom. It matters not how slight the offense 
may be, it must be repented of with godly sorrow, and 
confessed, and discontinued: and it matters not how 
numerous or how heinous the sins of a penitent may 
have been, when these conditions are fulfilled, the par- 
don is assured. 

"The worst of sinners here may find 
A Savior pitiful and kind, 
Who will them all receive." 



NATURE OF THIS GOVERNMENT 147 

Now look at Mark 3 : 28-30, "All their sins shall he 
forgiven unto the sons of men, and their blasphemies 
wherewithsoever they shall blaspheme; but whosoever 
shall blaspheme against the Holy Spirit hath never for- 
giveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin : because they 
said, He hath an unclean spirit." 1 John 5 : 16, "There 
is a sin unto death." The unpardonable sin ! What is 
it, and why ? Ephesians 4 : 30, "Grieve not the Holy 
Spirit of God, in whom ye were sealed unto the day of 
redemption." Genesis 6 : 3, "Jehovah said, My Spirit 
shall not strive with man forever." That the agency 
of the Spirit of God is of first importance in leading 
sinners to repentance is undisputed by any believer in 
the Word of God. It is, therefore, evident that any- 
thing that bars the door of the heart against that Spirit 
must be a sin unto death. From the above passages it 
is plain that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit that 
hath never forgiveness does not consist in any sinful 
word that men may speak, or sinful act they may per- 
form. We have already seen that the condition of for- 
giveness is repentance, which includes penitence, con- 
fession, and reformation of life. Refusal to repent, 
then, will render forgiveness impossible. This is a 
state of mind, a fixed purpose of the will, which is possi- 
ble to every moral agent. A fixed purpose to repent 
and submit to God ensures forgiveness ; and a fixed pur- 
pose not to repent and submit to God renders forgive- 
ness impossible. That is the "sin unto death," "blas- 
phemy against the Holy Ghost," "guilty of an eternal 
sin," a sinful state of mind that will never be changed. 
Even the Holy Spirit cannot influence it. When, there- 
fore, the scribes said, "By the prince of the demons cast- 
eth he out demons," it was not these words that consti- 



148 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

tuted the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, but the 
dishonest state of mind that refused to see that He did 
His mighty works by the Spirit of God, and dared to 
say, "He hath Beelzebub, and, By the prince of the de- 
mons casteth he out the demons." Let it be remembered 
also that a positive purpose of the will — I will not 
repent, is not necessary; simple neglect is sufficient. 
God requires a positive purpose to submit to Him and 
serve Him ; and he or she who neglects to form such a 
purpose is lost. O reader, beware ! How shall we 
escape, if we neglect so great salvation ? "To day if ye 
will hear his voice, harden not your heart." 

The determination of a fixed purpose to submit to 
God or to refuse such submission, to establish a char- 
acter of trustworthiness or untrustworthiness, is the 
consummation of moral agency, the consummation of a 
human life. The responsibilities of the heavenly world 
can be entrusted safely only to those who have proved 
their trustworthiness by being faithful over the respon- 
sibilities entrusted to them in this life. The growth 
and development of the human soul, from the embryonic 
condition of infancy to the mighty energies of the full- 
grown man, and the formation of a fixed purpose to do 
the right or the wrong, comprise the whole object of a 
human life, as it lay in the mind of our Creator, when 
He made man in his own image and likeness. 

This test of character is not required of man alone. 
It was while undergoing this test that "angels fell." 
Those that withstood the test, by the fixedness of their 
choice to be loyal to God, became "holy angels;" while 
those that yielded to the temptation and chose to dis- 
obey, became "the angels that sinned." The result of 
the choices made by these two classes of angels reveals 



NATURE OF THIS GOVERNMENT 149 

those that may be trusted, and those in whom no con- 
fidence can be placed. "Resist the devil, and he will 
flee from you." 

In God's requirement that moral agents shall all 
prove themselves trustworthy before great responsibil- 
ities shall be entrusted to them, I find the reason why 
our Savior was "in all points tempted like as we are." 
This was necessary, not only that we might have a high 
priest who could be touched with the feeling of our 
infirmities, but that He might establish a character for 
trustworthiness, that would challenge the unwavering 
confidence of all who were called upon to trust Him. 

At this point we shall find a few minutes' careful 
study of our Savior's temptation profitable. We will 
notice, 

1. The circumstances. Jesus, the son of Mary, had 
reached the age of maturity — thirty years. By His 
baptism He had been inaugurated into His life work. 
John preached, "The kingdom of God is at hand." 
Jesus knew that meant Him. Impressed with a sense 
of the greatness of the undertaking, moved by the 
Spirit, He withdrew quietly to the wilderness, to spend 
a season in communion with the Father who had sent 
Him, and to form a definite plan of procedure. 

2. Forty days passed, and He had been so absorbed 
in thought that He had neglected to supply the daily 
needs of His physical life. He was hungry, but His 
plan was formed. He knew just what He was to do, 
and how He would do it. Just as He was about to 
return to the city, a stranger met Him, and with a 
winning smile and manner addressed Him somewhat 
after this manner: "I was at the Jordan about six 
weeks ago when you were baptized; and heard the 



150 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

voice from heaven proclaim, 'This is my beloved Son.' 
That means that the forces of nature are at the service 
of your will. You are exhausted, emaciated with 
hunger. Change this stone to bread and eat." Plaus- 
ible as Satan appeared, Jesus knew him, and refused to 
follow his suggestion. This was a temptation of the 
flesh ; of the same nature as those to which we are all 
subject. 

3. Though foiled in this attempt, the devil, who has 
often been commended for perseverance, approaches 
Him from another direction. Says he, "You are the 
Son of God. You are here to conquer this world. 
This has been the ambition of all the great monarchs, 
but they were not smart enough. You can do it. 
Take my advice, and you will accomplish it in a short 
time. Your people are in a frenzy of anticipation of 
the restoration of the Kingdom of David just now, 
caused by the preaching of John that the kingdom of 
heaven is at hand. Let the people know who you 
are, and what is your mission to this world. Hoist 
your banner, and call for followers. Your people will 
join you to a man, and by your superior ability you are 
sure to be victorious. Take my advice. Worship me ; 
and I will throw all my great influence over the world 
in your favor. In a few months' time your empire 
will extend from the river to the ends of the earth, and 
it will endure forever." This was an appeal to ambi- 
tion, the sin that had ruined the tempter himself, and 
cast him out of heaven : a fact that Jesus was perfectly 
acquainted with ; and shows the folly and weakness of 
all who forsake God and esteem themselves wondrous 
wise. Of course the devil was foiled again. This is 
also, in some form, the besetting sin of most men. 



NATURE OF THIS GOVERNMENT 151 

4. No way daunted, he says, I will try Him once 
more. Perhaps I can convince Him of the feasibility 
of my plan, and entrap Him after all. Jesus has 
returned to the city and is standing on the pinnacle of 
the temple, admiring the wonderful structure when the 
tempter approaches Him again; and addresses Him in 
this manner. "Son of God, I admire your talent, and 
I would like to show you how easily you could make the 
conquest of this world in the way I proposed to you. 
Multitudes of Jews are in full view of you. From this 
giddy height cast yourself down into the valley. There 
is no danger. It is written, 'God will give his angels 
charge concerning thee; and in their hands they shall 
bear thee up, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.' 
Seeing you sail safely to the bottom, all will know that 
God is with you, will have confidence in you, and will 
join you in your victorious undertaking." This was 
a temptation to the sin of presumption, one of the most 
common of human sins. One glance at these three 
temptations will show how true the statement is that 
He was "in all points tempted like as we are." "De- 
sires of the flesh and of the mind" cover the whole bat- 
tle front between the Spirit of God and the rebellious 
heart of man. The lusts of the flesh we all understand 
well. A careful analysis of the "desires of the mind" 
will classify them all that are at enmity with God, 
under the two heads of ambition and presumption. 
This is the lesson I think we should all learn from the 
account given of the temptation of our Savior. 

Viewing this incident from the view-point of the 
Father manifestly the object of the temptation was not 
to satisfy Him of the trustworthiness of His Son. As 
related to us, its object, in addition to assuring us that 



152 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

we have a High Priest who can sympathize with us in 
our conflicts with the devil, it assures us that He is 
perfectly worthy of all our confidence. He will carry 
out the Father's program of the work assigned Him in 
all its particulars. His humanity does not weaken His 
divinity in any degree. We can safely adopt Peter's 
answer to Jesus' question, Will ye also go away? 
"Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of 
eternal life." 



CHAPTER X 



PRACTICAL WORKING OP GOD'S FAMILY GOVERNMENT 



INTERESTING as our preceding studies have been, 
we now enter upon a field of inquiry that, in inter- 
est and importance, surpasses all that we have yet 
considered. In this field we shall find ourselves indi- 
vidually; and every fact with which we become 
acquainted will be one in which we are personally inter- 
ested. I hope, therefore, that every proposition we 
lay down may be weighed carefully and profoundly by 
every person who reads them. 

Let it be clearly understood, at the outset, that each 
member of this family is, in his acts and choices, an 
independent, self-determining, self-accountable, moral 
agent. While each exerts a powerful influence over 
others, and is accountable for the influence he exerts, 
each also determines his own choices for himself, and 
is wholly accountable for his choices. No member of 
the family can share the accountability of another. 
"So then each one of us shall give account of himself to 
God." Let it also be remembered that this accounta- 
bility also extends to each member of the entire house- 
hold who may be influenced by our conduct or choices ; 
that is, we are not only accountable to God but to one 
another. Our present inquiry is, How have the differ- 



154 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

ent members of this family conducted themselves indi- 
vidually, and what are the consequences? 

1. The Father. His duties are loving, fatherly, 
affection and devotion to the welfare and happiness of 
the entire family ; and wise and abundant provision for 
all their necessities. This includes the facts, laws, cir- 
cumstances, and influences necessary for their growth, 
development, and perfection, physical, mental, moral, 
and spiritual. Being the Sovereign of the family, it is 
His duty also to exercise such governmental authority, 
and provide such a system of rewards and penalties as 
may be necessary to encourage all to do right ; to reform 
the offender ; and to protect the faithful and loyal from 
such wrong and damage as might come to them from 
others who might be evilly disposed. The most careful 
and searching inquiry into the ability and faithfulness 
of the Father, in all His relations, as parent, provider, 
and ruler, will reveal the fact that no fault of any kind 
can be found in Him. The judgment of the entire 
family must be that He is perfect in every particular, 
and holy in every moral attribute. This being the case 
He is of course worthy of the highest regard, reverence, 
love, and obedience. 

2. The most searching and thorough inquiry into the 
conduct of the Son, the personal Word, the executive 
Deity, will reveal the same completeness in every quali- 
fication, faithfulness in every work assigned Him, and 
moral perfection in every trait of His character. This 
entitles Him also to the same regard, reverence, love, 
and obedience. 

3. The angels. What is their record as members of 
the family and citizens of this government? For an- 
swer to this question we must turn to the inspired 



GOD'S FAMILY GOVERNMENT 155 

Word. The testimony of uninspired writers would be 
quite too incomplete to answer our purpose. Our 
Father, however, has deemed it so important that we 
should know something on this point that He has in- 
spired His secretaries to record some facts respecting 
it, from which we may safely work out the problems 
with a satisfactory degree of certainty. The apostle 
Jude, in the sixth verse of his short epistle, says, "An- 
gels that kept not their own principality, but left their 
proper habitation, he hath kept in everlasting bonds 
under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." 
The apostle Peter, in his second epistle, 2 : 4, says, "God 
spared not angels when they sinned, but cast them 
down to hell, and committed them to pits of darkness, 
to be reserved unto judgment." Matthew, Mark, Luke, 
and John also frequently mention the works of "evil 
spirits," "unclean spirits," and "demons," which mani- 
festly belong to the angelic branch of this family. In 
Revelation 12 : 7-9 we read, "There was war in heaven. 
Michael and his angels going forth to war with the 
dragon; and the dragon warred and his angels; and 
they prevailed not, neither was their place found any 
more in heaven." 

Some have claimed that this passage is not literal 
history, because it is found in the midst of the most 
wonderful vision of scenes and events that belong to 
another world, another life, and another time. For 
this reason I deem it necessary to argue that point a 
little before leaving it. 

Whatever interpretation may or must be given of this 
passage, whether "in heaven" means in "the Kingdom of 
God on earth," and "the dragon means the Roman 
Empire," and the "war in heaven" means "the long 



156 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

conflict between the Roman Empire and the true be- 
lievers," or whether it refers to other events of Roman 
history, no one who believes the statements of Jude, 
Peter, John, and Jesus Himself, will dispute that it 
states, in very literal historic style, what actually did, 
at some time, occur in the heavenly world. Angels are 
moral agents, just as capable of sinning as men. The 
test of their loyalty and trustworthiness was as im- 
portant and necessary as the test of human loyalty and 
trustworthiness; and the statements made in this pas- 
sage would express, in very correct language, the nature 
of that test, and the results that would follow. 

In the language of this passage, and of other passages 
quoted, interpreted in the light of the nature and phi- 
losophy of moral agency. I read the history thus : There 
was a time when God revealed to the angels in a distinct 
and positive manner that they should recognize the 
superiority, dignity, and authority of His Son; rever- 
encing and rendering to Him divine homage, worship, 
and obedience, the same as to Himself. Hebrews 1 : 6, 
"When he bringeth his firstborn into the world he saith, 
And let all the angels of God worship him." 

Now, from the fact that there is an archangel — an 
angel of the highest rank — we learn that there are de- 
grees in rank, and probably in the capacity and ability, 
of the angelic host. On this hypothesis, we may rea- 
sonably suppose that he who was at that time the arch- 
angel, and most likely entertained ambitious dreams of 
superiority and perhaps authority, refused to render 
such homage, worship, and obedience; and his great 
influence over the angelic community persuaded a large 
number of them to join him in rebellion against the 
authority and dominion of God. This mischievous 



GOD'S FAMILY GOVERNMENT 157 

influence was met by counter influences, led by Michael, 
who was joined by all the loyal angelic spirits, and who 
finally prevailed over the rebellious host, and drove 
them out of the community entirely. Thus the rebel- 
lious host "prevailed not, neither was their place found 
any more in heaven." 

What the name of this ambitious leader was we are 
not informed. As indicative of his character he has 
since been called "Satan" — hater, accuser; the "devil" 
— accuser, calumniator; "dragon" — an epithet of con- 
tempt and degradation; "the old serpent," an illusion 
to the temptation of Eve; and, as king of destructive 
forces, "the angel of the abyss ;" in Hebrew he is called 
Abaddon, and in Greek Apollyon. On the other hand, 
the great conqueror of the first rebellion was named 
Michael — "one who is like God;" and he has been the 
archangel ever since. The conquering host, who main- 
tained their loyalty and their trustworthiness, are call- 
ed the "holy angels;" the others are called "demons," 
"evil spirits," "unclean spirits," etc. Thus the great 
event, so mysterious to most people, has resulted in 
developing the character of all the angels and revealing 
to us whom to trust and whom not to trust. 

This event also settles permanently and forever, the 
question of the personality of the devil, and the entire 
host of his followers. Any living creature, in heaven 
or on earth, or in hell, or anywhere else in the universe 
of God, who can do right or do wrong, thus forming 
moral character, is a person. Let that fact be firmly 
settled and fixed in the mind, and it will do important 
service in the solution of many important questions. It 
also answers a very common and oft-repeated question, 
Who made the devil ? and puts to shame those quibbling 



158 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

skeptics who charge God with folly by inquiring, Why 
did God, if He is wise and good, as you claim, make the 
devil, with a host of assistants, to lead unsuspecting 
men and women into sin and misery? 

The answer to all such questions is, God made both 
angels and men moral agents; the highest gift of infi- 
nite wisdom; and with ingratitude inexpressible, and 
baseness and meanness incalculable, they spurned the 
infinite wealth of the gift, and employed the wonderful 
power of free, uncoercible choice, with which infinite 
love had endowed them, in denying Him the filial love 
that was His due, refusing to submit to His rightful 
authority, and wickedly devoting all their energies and 
influence to working all the mischief and ruin in their 
power among other members of the family. Such is 
the nature of sin, whether in angels or in men. It is 
no more incredible that angels should sin than that men 
should sin. 

4. Man. The history of the human race, as mem- 
bers of God's family and subjects of His government, is 
a story of astonishing folly and shame. Probably but 
few of the angels in comparison with the "innumerable 
company," were deluded by their ambitious leader, and 
persuaded to join in the revolt that caused the "war in 
heaven;" but of the human race "all have sinned and 
fall short of the glory of God." 



CHAPTER XI 



THE GREAT REBELLION 



IN the foregoing chapters we have given an outline 
of the original, divine plan of the Kingdom of God, 
That there has been an apparent failure up to this 
time, so far as the human race is concerned, as to the 
realization of the beneficent end here indicated, is obvi- 
ous at a glance. While the government is the wisest, 
most perfect possible, perfectly adapted in every par- 
ticular to the end designed, and while the administra- 
tion has been faultless in every particular, its human 
subjects have been unfilial as children, ungrateful and 
thankless as dependents, and disloyal as subjects. By 
long continuance in this course of rebellious life, they 
have become deluded and ignorant as to the very nature 
and object of their existence. The shocking and deplor- 
able results of this most unnatural fact, as affecting 
the attitude of the race toward the government, is 
understood and realized, I believe by very few of the 
most thoughtful and devoted Christians. Note the 
following : 

1. It has filled the world with false notions of God. 
The popular notion of God is anything but that of a 
loving Father, devoted to the welfare and happiness of 
His children. I fancy that even at this present time, 
after nineteen full centuries of the most impressive 



160 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

manifestations of His fatherliness, as made known to 
us by His "only begotten Son," the people who realize, 
acknowledge, and receive the providential experiences 
of life as the kind and loving dealings of a wise and 
devoted Father are few ; and they who can look through 
them, and discover fatherly love, interest, wisdom and 
devotion are fewer still. It is one thing to accept such 
a statement as a fact, and submit to it as an unavoida- 
ble but disagreeable necessity, and quite another to 
actually believe it, and fall in with it with the cheerful, 
happy spirit of an obedient child, who really believes 
the Father knows best; and is glad to enjoy the care, 
advice, even the prohibitory command of such a Father. 
The sin of the race is self-indulgence; and cheerful, 
willing submission to the Father's will, when He posi- 
tively refuses to gratify our desire, is, I fear, a state of 
Christian faith and loyalty not often found. I hope 
I am mistaken. I am not disposed to be pessimistic; 
but I judge of the struggles of others by my own. 

2. Another deplorable error, that seems to be almost 
universal, especially in the minds of young people, is 
that the self-denial that consecration to the will of God 
would require of them would be detrimental to their 
enjoyment. When urged to give their hearts to Christ, 
and devote their whole lives and energies to the service 
of God, the work of building up His kingdom in the 
world, their answer often is, "No ! Not yet ! I want to 
enjoy myself while I am young." They are laboring 
under a dreadful delusion. In the words of Isaiah 
5 : 20, "They call evil good, and good evil ; they put 
darkness for light, and light for darkness ; they put bit- 
ter for sweet, and sweet for bitter." Thus deluded, they 
deprive themselves of the very happiness for which they 



THE GREAT REBELLION 161 

are hungering; and at the same time cut off their 
chances for any happiness in this life or the life to come. 

Only an error, but what a dreadful error ! And all 
because of the erroneous idea that God is an absolute 
monarch, an arbitrary and irresponsible tyrant, who 
has uttered His commands and requirements simply 
because He has authority to do so, and power to punish 
those who disobey. If they had been taught their true 
relations to God — their Father, and to their fellow men 
— brothers and sisters in the same family, and that the 
person, young or old, who is most interested in the 
highest welfare and greatest happiness of the whole 
family will be the happiest of them all, what a different 
state of society would prevail, and how soon such 
delusions would vanish. Every well-ordered family on 
earth is an object-lesson, directly and continually before 
the eyes of all, intended by the Father to teach the 
nature of His government; but unobserved because of 
the erroneous ideas that prevail respecting our true 
relations to Him, and His true attitude toward us. 

3. Of near kinship with this error, one that seems 
to be nearly universal, and is, perhaps, most damaging 
of them all, is the idea that the main object of a Chris- 
tian life is to prepare the soul for death, thus assuring 
escape from hell, and a final home in heaven. 

One of the old style revival hymns, that used to be 
sung with tearful earnestness, as an appeal to sinners 
to repent, was, "O sinner, get ready to die;" another, 
"O you must be a lover of the Lord, or you can't go to 
heaven when you die." Both these statements are 
true ; but to get ready to die, to escape hell, or even to 
get to heaven when you die, is no part of the true 
motive to filial, fraternal love in the family, or loyalty 



162 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

to the government of God. The Christian religion does 
truly prepare the soul for its departure from this life 
and its triumphant entrance upon the life to come ; but 
this is done by enabling its possessor to faithfully ful- 
fil life's mission, so that the final Judge can truthfully 
say, "Well done, good and faithful servant, thou hast 
been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over 
many things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." 

The only thing that need concern us now is, How shall 
I be faithful over the "few things" that are now entrust- 
ed to me ? The faithful performance of our individual 
duties, as members of God's great family, will make 
existence happy now and forever. They who do not 
"go to heaven" until they die, will never find "that 
happy place;" but they who find heaven here, in filial, 
loving devotion to the Father's will and the interests 
of His kingdom, His family, will need no special 
"extreme unction" in their dying hour, to prepare them 
for "the world to come." 

4. The delusions above mentioned, however, damag- 
ing and ruinous as they are, are almost meaningless 
when compared with the representations found in the 
Word of God. Note the following : — Isaiah 59 : 2, 
"Your iniquities have separated between you and your 
God, and your sins have hid his face from you." Isaiah 
5 : 20, "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil ; 
that put darkness for light, and light for darkness ; that 
put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" Romans 
1 : 21-23, 25, and 28-32, "Knowing God, they glorified 
him not as God, neither gave thanks ; but became vain in 
their reasonings, and their senseless heart was dark- 
ened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became 
fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God 



THE GREAT REBELLION 163 

for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of 
birds, and four footed beasts, and creeping things. 
.... They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and 
worshipped and served the creature rather than the 
Creator. As they refused to have God in their knowl- 
edge, God gave them up unto a reprobate mind, to do 
those things which are not fitting; being filled with all 
unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malicious- 
ness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity; 
whisperers, backbiters, hateful to God, insolent, 
haughty, boastful, inventors of evil things, disobedient 
to parents, without understanding, covenant-breakers, 
without natural affection, unmerciful : who, knowing 
the ordinance of God, that they that practice such 
things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but 
also consent with them that practice them." 

What a shocking picture ! Can it be that this is a 
photograph of the true inwardness of children created 
"in the image and likeness" of our faithful, loving, per- 
fect heavenly Father? So deluded, so depraved, so 
destitute of reason, so determined to blind their own 
eyes to every "strait and narrow way that leads to life," 
and run their giddy race in the "broad way that leads 
to death," and eternal despair? I would gladly sup- 
pose that the apostle was describing the state of "cor- 
ruption and violence" that existed among the antedi- 
luvians ; but our daily papers bear witness every even- 
ing and every morning, that the same state of things 
exists in the United States of America at the commence- 
ment of the twentieth century of the Christian Era. 
The truth is, rebellion against God is individual, always 
producing the same results; and so delusive that the 
rebel himself does not realize his real attitude. He is 



164 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

unfilial as a child, and disloyal as a subject of the king- 
dom of his Father- Sovereign. "Kebellion is as the sin 
of witchcraft." "The way of the wicked causeth 
them to err." "The way of the wicked is as darkness." 
"The way of a fool is right in his own eyes." "There 
is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end 
thereof are the ways of death." 

5. The above representation of the effects of sin are 
surely deplorable and shocking enough, but the worst 
remains yet to be told. These all refer to the sinner 
as related to His fellow men. His attitude toward God is 
still more deplorable and shocking. God is his Father, 
loving and devoted; supplying all his needs; for 
which purpose He has made the world to teem with 
everything that can contribute to his comfort, his pleas- 
ure, and his happiness. He is also his King, and has 
instituted a government, perfectly adapted to the same 
end. What his feelings and attitude should be toward 
his Father-King needs no statement ; but what are the 
facts? "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no 
God." "God is not in all his thoughts." What kind 
of a son is that who has no thought of his Father? no 
regard for Him ? no care for His feelings, or His honor ? 
no desire to please Him ? never thanks Him for a favor, 
nor asks a favor of Him? never asks His advice? never 
seeks His company ? eats his meals at his Father's table 
in silence, never saying a word to Him or recognizing 
His presence? He curses his brothers and sisters in 
his Father's name right before his Father's face and in 
His hearing. "They slay the widow and the stranger, 
and murder the fatherless, and they say, Jehovah shall 
not see, neither shall the God of Jacob consider." 

These and other delusions that are fatal to happiness 



THE GREAT REBELLION 165 

and prosperity in any family constitute the basis of 
the fearful alienation of God's human children from 
their Father ; a state of alienation that has existed ever 
since the serpent beguiled mother Eve in the garden 
of Eden. A family quarrel, alienation of children 
from their parents, and selfish hostility toward one an- 
other, indicate the most disgraceful and shameful state 
of things known on earth; but alienation from our 
heavenly Father is inexpressibly more shameful and 
wicked. 

I have drawn this picture of the direful consequences 
of sin upon the sinner somewhat minutely and in pretty 
dark colors, but not half so dark as the facts warrant. 
Human language cannot describe the consequences of 
sin upon the spiritual nature of men and angels. Only 
the realistic experiences of the future will ever make 
them fully known to the lost soul itself. An intellectual 
conception of the agony of the lost soul may be obtained 
from the experience of our Savior in the garden of 
Gethsemane, when "Jehovah laid on him the iniquity 
of us all." This was the agony that was crushing the 
life out of Him, when "his sweat became as it were 
great drops of blood falling down upon the ground." 
It was the certainty that, under the crushing weight of 
this agony, immediate death would prevent the fulfil- 
ment of the prophecies, His own included, concerning 
the manner of His death by crucifixion, that led to the 
prayer, Luke 22 : 42, "Father, if thou be willing, remove 
this cup from me :" to which Luke adds, verse 43, "And 
there appeared unto him an angel from heaven, 
strengthening him." Now let us read Hebrews 5 : 7, 
"Having offered up prayers and supplications with 
strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save 



166 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

him from death, and having been heard for his godly 
fear;" more literally, having been heard from his fear; 
that is, having been heard and delivered from his fear. 
Hearing prayer often includes the answering of the 
prayer. 

I have introduced and given this explanation of this 
incident for two reasons. First, as affording an idea 
of the condition of a lost soul, and, at the same time to 
correct what I deem to be very erroneous ideas as to the 
cause of the agony, and the meaning of the prayer. The 
idea that Jesus was "exceeding sorrowful, even unto 
death" in view of the cross which He well knew await- 
ed Him, and which, as "a lamb slain from the founda- 
tion of the world," He understood before He left the 
heavenly world for His earthly life of labor, suffering, 
and death, cannot be true. Jesus was no coward. 
Other men went to the cross without any such life- 
crushing agony; why should He experience it? That 
the agony in the garden crushed the life out of Him is 
evident from what followed. When the cross was laid 
upon Him to bear it, as others did, to the place of execu- 
tion, He manifestly broke down under it, for John says, 
"He went out, bearing the cross ;" and other three evan- 
gelists agree in saying, that they compelled Simon of 
Cyrene to carry it. No one will claim for a moment 
that Jesus was such a weakling that the strain of the 
arrest and trial of the preceding night had so exhausted 
Him, while every one will admit that an agony that 
would cause blood to ooze from the pores of the skin as 
sweat would be very likely to have that effect. Another 
circumstance favors my exegesis. Three hours after 
He and the two thieves were crucified He was dead 
while the thieves were still living. The agony of Geth- 



THE GREAT REBELLION 167 

semane manifestly returned upon Him on the cross, 
when He exclaimed, "My God, my God, why hast thou 
forsaken me?" Thus His life went out; not by the 
hand of man, but because "Jehovah laid on him the 
iniquity of us all." This also accords with Jesus' own 
words, "No one taketh it (life) from me, but I lay it 
down of myself." The sacrifice of His life was just as 
fully a voluntary act as His coming into this world, and 
performing the works that He did, which makes the idea 
that his agony was the fear of death absurd and impos- 
sible. 

The state of alienation described above simply means 
that every son and every daughter of our race, notwith- 
standing the exalted position they occupy in the ascend- 
ing scale of creation, for reasons that I believe are not 
well understood, become sinful and rebellious against 
God — unfilial to their Father and disloyal to their King, 
and injurious to others and themselves, just as soon as 
they arrive at the age of accountability ; "and so death 
passed upon all men, for that all sinned." How this 
state of things should come about in a government 
whose King is the Father of His subjects, infinitely 
wise and infinitely good, and whose subjects are created 
in His own image and likeness, is probably the most 
puzzling question that has ever confronted the human 
mind. The Scriptures declare the fact, and observa- 
tion and experience testify to its truth ; but in all ages 
men have stood confounded before the question, Why? 
For want of a more rational reason the leaders of theo- 
logical thought and inquiry have, with great unanimity, 
laid the blame on Adam, as "the federal head" of the 
race. This theory, never satisfactory, has at length 
been exploded; but who has presented a better one? 



168 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

Heredity has been suggested, and may possibly have 
something to do with it, but it is quite insufficient to 
account for all the phenomena. There is a better 
theory; and we must find it. When the true theory 
is found, it will of course be Scriptural ; so, for a start- 
ing point, we will take, 

Romans 11 : 32, "God hath shut up all unto disobedi- 
ence, that he might have mercy upon all." This is an 
unequivocal statement of the universal disobedience of 
the race; and gives the reason for it. To head off the 
charge of partiality, God has Himself so created men 
that all shall need forgiveness, that He may have mercy 
upon all. 

This will probably be a new thought to others as it 
was to me ; and they will inquire, as I did, Is there any- 
thing in the constitution of man that corresponds with 
and confirms such a statement? God's laws are all 
parallel ; and His works never conflict. If men are so 
constituted that they must, or will naturally, "go astray 
as soon as they are born speaking lies," let us find it. 

In our study of the constitution of man we found 
that, in the development of the man from the embryonic 
state of infancy, first came the growth of the body ; then 
the first indications of the mind; and that the indica- 
tions of a spiritual life, which is necessary to a moral 
act, did not appear until some years later. By the side of 
this fact lay the statement of the apostle Paul, Ephe- 
sians 2 : 3, "Among whom we also all once lived in the 
lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the 
mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the 
rest ;" also Romans 8 : 6, "The mind of the flesh is 
death." Now add the fact that in all moral agents the 
same act of the will oft repeated forms a habit that is 



THE GREAT REBELLION 169 

overcome with great difficulty, and that during all those 
early years the desires of the flesh and of the mind con- 
trol the volitions of the child, and we shall find the fol- 
lowing solution of our problem. Before there are any 
indications of moral consciousness, the will becomes so 
habituated to yielding to the "desires of the flesh and 
of the mind" that when the moment comes that a desire 
of the flesh stands over against an act of duty, the will 
yields to the desire of the flesh, and sin is the conse- 
quence. Thus every human soul is "shut up unto dis- 
obedience." 

This is, I think, the scriptural and rational account 
of what men (not the Scriptures) have called "Natural 
Depravity." How far this circumstance may go in 
extenuation of guilt when a child first reaches the line 
of moral accountability, I cannot tell; nor is it neces- 
sary that we should know. Of one thing we need be 
in no doubt. When a disposition to disobey its parents 
manifests itself, we may know that the child has reach- 
ed the point where desire and duty meet, and where 
accountability commences; and that desire is claiming 
the mastery. Now let parents be alert. A single 
transgression is a light matter, compared with a con- 
firmed sinful habit, that may, if allowed to grow, so 
enslave the soul that regeneration may be impossible. 
The thing to be most feared in this life is incorrigibil- 
ity, which is a fixed determination not to repent — the 
only unpardonable sin — the sin against the Holy Spirit. 
To head off such a state the earliest and most effective 
means should be employed. Of all the responsibilities 
of parentage this is the greatest, the weightiest. I 
hope, therefore, that I may be pardoned if I make a few 
suggestions. 



170 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

Of first importance to this end is the earliest possible 
observation of the beginning of spiritual life. This will 
not be a difficult thing to do since before those indica- 
tions may be observed, the child will be able to under- 
stand what is said to it, and also able to talk. Parents 
who are alert on this point have found very young chil- 
dren attentive to and intensely interested in instruction 
respecting God, prayer, and what is right and wrong. 
They have also found that children often exhibit won- 
derful intelligence in comprehending the meaning of 
such instruction ; and marvelous results have often been 
realized upon the lives of such children, both in their 
youth and during their whole lives. It is not enough 
for even religious parents to bring up their children. 
God's instruction is, "Train up a child in the way he 
should go, and when he is old he will not depart 
from it." 

There is not a deformed fruit tree in your orchard 
that might not have been made well formed and beau- 
tiful by training. There is not an unsightly, unsym- 
metrical ornamental tree on your lawn that might not 
have been made symmetrical and beautiful by training. 
There is not a crooked tree in the forest that might not 
have been made straight by training. There is not a 
bad man in the world who might not have been made 
a good man by training. Every bad man and every 
bad woman in the world proclaims wherever he goes, 
My parents neglected to train me up in the way I should 
go. They are "epistles known and read of all men." 

Such is the beginning and such the first experiences 
of a human life. As soon, however, as this point is 
reached another important fact comes to the front, that 
makes the actor fully accountable for every deliberate 



THE GREAT REBELLION 171 

and intelligent choice. It is the fact of individual 
moral agency. Just when this commences it is difficult 
to tell. For many years children are so completely 
dependent upon parental care and instruction that par- 
ents are justly more accountable even to God for the 
conduct of their children than the children themselves. 
This fact is intended to impress upon the minds of par- 
ents their duty to instruct their children, even at this 
early age, in ideas of right and wrong; and impress 
deeply upon their minds that they must not do wrong. 
This is the first moral lesson to be taught and learned. 
The next is that it is wrong to disobey their parents. 
Though there may be cases where "The rod and reproof 
give wisdom," I fully believe that reproof administered 
in this manner, with devout prayer to God for His bless- 
ing upon it, will effect more and better results than the 
rod. When these two lessons are faithfully impressed 
upon the mind of a child, it becomes an easy matter to 
teach it, in a general way, what is wrong. Of all the 
responsibilities of parentage, this is the greatest, the 
weightiest, and at the same time, the easiest to be met. 
Such are the intimate relations of parent and child that, 
at this age, opportunities are constantly occurring to 
say to the child, That is wrong ; you must not do wrong ; 
and to commend it for doing something right; thus 
restraining it from doing wrong, and encouraging it in 
doing right. 

CONSCIENCE 

This seems to be a natural and appropriate place to 
give a psychological account of Conscience that I think 
the world needs, and has been long enough without. 

Conscience and Consciousness are philologically the 



172 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

same. They differ only in this : — Conscience is the 
name of a particular fact in the larger field of Con- 
sciousness. The psychology of Conscience, as I read 
it in my own experiences is this : — 

1. That I should not do what I think is wrong is an 
intuitive affirmation of the Reason; a permanent fact 
in Consciousness. 

2. What is right and what is wrong is an affirma- 
tion of the Judgment to which each person arrives 
independently, as the result of instruction, experience, 
or reflection. 

3. Acts of the Will are also facts of Consciousness. 

4. These two facts — the intuition of Reason that I 
must not do what I judge to be wrong, and the judg- 
ment I have formed as to what is right and what is 
wrong, lying side by side in the field of Consciousness, 
furnish a rule by which I judge whether an act of either 
another or myself is right or wrong. 

5. This rule will be different in different individuals, 
as they are differently instructed ; and may be different 
in the same person at different times. This statement 
needs no argument or illustration. 

6. An act of the Will of which moral character may 
be predicated also becomes a fact in Consciousness ; and 
its agreement or disagreement with the Rule of Right 
is noted by the judgment. 

7. The decision of the Judgment that the act of the 
Will agrees or disagrees with the Rule of Right is fol- 
lowed by an emotion of pleasure or pain, also in the 
field of Consciousness. This is what we call Con- 
science. 

8. Conscience, then, is an emotion of pleasure or 
pain in Consciousness, resulting from the joint action 



THE GREAT REBELLION 173 

of the Judgment and the Will as related to the Rule of 
Right. Hence it is not a faculty, but the product of 
a psychological process. 

9. There are four conditions under which an act of 
Will is adjudged to be right or wrong by my Rule of 
Right. 

(1.) When the act of another person is in conform- 
ity with my Rule of Right, my Judgment recognizes the 
agreement, and pleasurable emotions arise in my Con- 
sciousness. This is my approval of the act, but not 
Conscience. 

(2.) When another has done what violates my Rule 
of Right, my Judgment pronounces the disagreement, 
and emotions of regret, grief, pity, or indignation fol- 
low. Still this is not Conscience. I am not account- 
able. It is not my act. 

(3.) When I have willed an act in conformity with 
my Rule of Right, my Judgment affirms the agreement, 
and peaceful, joyful emotions arise. This is an approv- 
ing Conscience. 

(4.) When I have violated this Rule, my Judgment 
affirms the disagreement, and I experience mortification, 
shame, guilt, condemnation, remorse. This is an accus- 
ing Conscience. 

The philosophy of this condemnation is this : — The 
Rule of Right, formed by the joint action of my Judg- 
ment with the Intuition of Reason, has been violated by 
an act of my own Will. There is discord in my souL 
Reason and Will are at war ; and Consciousness, lying 
between them and accessible to both, is the field of con- 
flict. At war with myself, how can I have pleasure; 
much less joy and happiness. "There is no peace to 
the wicked." 



174 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

As to that wonderful question, "Is Conscience an 
infallible rule of conduct?" let me say, If you want to 
know whether a contemplated act would be right or 
wrong for you to do it, ask your Consciousness whether 
it would accord with the Rule of Right recorded there, 
and you will, if sincere in your question, receive an 
answer that it will be perfectly safe for you to follow. 



CHAPTER XII 



THE FATAL CHOICE 



WE have seen how we, as members of the human 
family, are "shut up unto disobedience;" but 
an inquiry may arise whether the case was the 
same with our first parents. Whether it was or not 
we may not be able to tell. The circumstances under 
which they fell are given to us, and that is quite suffi- 
cient. When Jehovah God formed man of the dust of 
the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath 
of lives, and man became a living soul, though he was 
complete in all his physical, mental, and moral capabil- 
ities, he had no moral character. He had made no 
choices between right and wrong. He was not holy, 
as has been taught by theologians ; nor was he sinful — 
he was simply innocent. We have seen also that moral 
choices can be made only in the presence of an alterna- 
tive. One must be situated so that he must choose to 
do that which is right or that which is wrong. This in 
a government necessitates a law, or at least a command, 
positive or negative or both — thou shalt or thou shalt 
not. 

This necessity was met, in their case, when "Jehovah 
God commanded the man. saying, Of every tree in the 
garden thou mayest freely eat : but of the tree of knowl- 
edge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it : for in the 



176 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die." 
(Genesis 2: 16, 17). Here was the necessary alterna- 
tive. They could eat of the fruit of that tree, or they 
could let it alone. Their freedom of choice is made 
known to them in the statement, "Of every tree in the 
garden thou mayest freely eat." This was not permis- 
sion, but the simple announcement that their freedom 
of choice would not be interfered with : thus placing the 
responsibility of their choice entirely upon themselves 
individually. So far as their ability to choose was 
concerned they could eat of the fruit of this tree as 
freely as of the fruit of any other tree in the garden ; 
but they were forewarned that the consequences of eat- 
ing of that tree would be death. "Thou shalt surely 
die." 

How did it happen that they did not pray, Father 
help us now? Ah, they were ignorant, inexperienced 
and inquisitive. Created with an instinct for knowl- 
edge, development, curiosity was as keen as it is to-day. 
"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for 
food (palatable), and that it was a delight to the eye, 
(pretty), and to be desired to make one wise (as the 
serpent-devil had told her) , she took of the fruit thereof 
and did eat ; and gave also unto her husband, and he did 
eat (Genesis 3:6). The fatal choice was made. It 
could never be recalled. They stood before their Fa- 
ther ashamed, condemned, afraid; before their Sover- 
eign, rebels against His government. The great rebel- 
lion was commenced. 

There is yet one more question about which I want to 
say something before closing this chapter; one that has 
perplexed casuists for ages. It relates to 



THE FATAL GHOICE 177 



THE ORIGIN OF EVIL 



Taking the above example for our study, since this 
was the beginning of evil in this world, let us find the 
exact point where the current of human life was divert- 
ed from the channel in which it was designed to run, 
and in which it might have run just as well as to have 
run where it has. Our first inquiry will be, What is 
the evil that had its origin in this transaction? The 
answer I receive to this question is, "Death." No! 
Death is an evil, but it is a resultant not a radical evil. 
The origin of evil must be a cause not an effect. Death 
is the wages, the consequence, the effect of sin as a 
cause. What, then, is sin ? Sin is an act of the free 
will. It is choosing to do wrong, instead of doing 
right. It is voluntary disobedience of a precept or law, 
wise, loving, and absolutely necessary to the highest 
condition of well-being and happiness, where obedience 
is required. 

"Thou shalt not eat thereof" was the occasion, not 
the cause, of the disobedience. The command was no 
evil. It furnished the opportunity to obey as well as to 
disobey ; and had they chosen to obey, the result would 
have been the highest good of their being ; namely, hap- 
piness and strength of moral purpose ; and incalculable 
good to the whole human race. It would not necessar- 
ily have prevented their posterity from sinning; but it 
would have been an example that could not have been 
without great influence throughout all time. 

Note again, the evil did not originate in the fact of 
the free will, but in the wrong use of it. The right use 
of free will is the means of happiness. There can be 
no happiness without it; and there can be no moral 



178 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

evil without the misuse of it. The free will of God, of 
His Son, of the holy angels, of the saints in heaven and 
on earth, is not the cause of evil to them or to any one. 

The Origin of Evil, then is an act of the Free Will of 
a Moral Agent choosing to do wrong instead of choosing 
to do right. 

Perhaps some of my readers are saying, "You have 
made no mention of a very important circumstance con- 
nected with the fall of our first parents. Eve was 
tempted by the serpent, and Adam was tempted by her." 
Very true; but the serpent had no power to compel 
her choice ; neither had she any power to compel Adam's 
choice. No one was accountable for the choice he 
made but himself. Temptation is not sin; neither 
is it an excuse for sinning. No amount of temptation 
can justify sin in any form. Even the potent influ- 
ences of heredity furnish no excuse for any crime, or 
any violation of moral right. "So, then, each one of us 
shall give account of himself to God." 

The fact, however, that man had a tempter shows that 
evil had its origin before that. Where, then, did it 
originate? I answer, Where should it originate but in 
heaven ? Opportunity to do right is opportunity to do 
wrong, whether in heaven, earth, or hell; and the 
stronger the inducement to do right, the greater 
the guilt of doing wrong. On the other hand also, the 
stronger the temptation to do wrong, the greater the 
virtue of doing right. The first sinner was an angel ; 
and when he sinned he defied all the influences that 
could either restrain him from sinning, or reclaim him 
after he had sinned. This is the reason no effort has 
ever been made to redeem the fallen angels. They were 
incorrigible from the beginning. Divine mercy, pa- 



THE FATAL CHOICE 179 

rental love can never reach them, to move them to 
repentance. They are lost. 

One thought more. Some of my readers may think, 
That must have been a very defective form of govern- 
ment that results so disastrously to its subjects. Nay, 
verily! This is the only form of government ever 
devised that is wisely, intelligently, and perfectly 
adapted to ensure the broadest development, the highest 
good, and the largest measure of happiness possible to 
rational, intelligent beings, made but little lower than 
God. In fact, this very state of things furnishes the 
occasion for a grander display of fatherly love, and a 
larger measure of ineffable happiness, than could in any 
other manner have been exercised by the Father, or 
experienced by His children. "O, the depth of the 
riches, both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God ! 
how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways 
past finding out !" 



CHAPTER XIII 



SUBDUING THE REBELLION 



THAT this rebellion, great and universal as it is, 
will be conquered, no believer in God can 
doubt. That God knew before He created man 
just what would occur, and just how He would meet 
every exigency, is surely believed by nearly all who pro- 
fess to be loyal subjects of His kingdom. Here, then, is 
another field of inquiry, that should be carefully and 
diligently traversed, in order that its important and 
instructive lessons may be helpful to us in our efforts, as 
God's "fellow workers," to restore order, harmony, love, 
and loyalty to this rebellious and unhappy world. 

Means for the accomplishment of this end, the restor- 
ation of moral order and loyalty in the Kingdom of 
God, were undoubtedly inaugurated immediately after 
the grievous sin of our first parents; and every eon of 
time that has numbered its passing years since, has been 
characterized by some feature of the progressive work. 
To find the full meaning of the succeeding ages, from 
the beginning to the present time, would be an under- 
taking too great to be commenced at the age of ninety- 
two ; but we hope to suggest an outline that may prompt 
some younger and more competent inquirer to the dis- 
covery of the deep, ulterior meaning of all God's meth- 
ods of dealing with both individuals and nations, as 



182 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

having this end directly and constantly in view : for be 
assured all of God's dealings with the children of men 
must be studied from this view-point to be understood. 

Our Father-King, as the most efficient means of grow- 
ing souls for great and inconceivable work in a future 
world and life, has employed methods from the begin- 
ning, perfectly adapted by infinite wisdom and good- 
ness to this ultimate end. These methods are hidden 
in the history of our race, that the highest capabilities 
of the human mind may reach their broadest develop- 
ment in finding them; and the noblest traits of moral 
character may be cultivated in their employment as 
means and influences for the glory of our King and the 
establishment of His Kingdom — the reign of righteous- 
ness, holiness, and happiness, upon the earth. 

That remedial measures would be immediately inau- 
gurated is evident from the curse He pronounced 
upon the serpent immediately after the fatal work was 
accomplished. "I will put enmity between thee and 
the woman, and between thy seed and her seed : he shall 
bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel" (Gene- 
sis 3: 15). This may be considered also a prediction 
of the final outcome. When a serpent's head is well 
bruised it is at least incapable of doing harm. 

I take up this examination of the ages on the 
hypothesis that, since I find evidence of unity of design 
in all the handiwork of both God and man, from the 
most insignificant fact or rule of action to the mightiest 
undertaking of either; and since the history of the 
human race is so clearly divided into periods differing 
widely in their general aspects and trend; and since 
this is God's world, and He is managing it in the 
interests of His kingdom ; there must be evidences of a 



SUBDUING THE REBELLION 183 

divine purpose in the history of each period, bearing 
directly upon the ultimate end for which all things 
were created : which end can never be realized until the 
great rebellion is subdued, peace and order established 
in righteousness, and the kingdoms of this world be 
brought into loving, loyal harmony with the Kingdom of 
God. In this study we hope to find at least the lead- 
ing lesson that each age was divinely intended to teach. 

THE FIRST PERIOD 

The first period, from Adam to Noah, was plainly 
designed to teach all succeeding generations what men 
would become if left to themselves. From what can 
be learned from the Scriptures there seems to have been 
no effort to restrain men, during that period, from the 
gratification of their desires in their own way. Adam 
and his immediate descendents knew something of God, 
but to what extent their knowledge influenced their con- 
duct we have no intimation. The last personal inter- 
view of God with any of them was His calling Cain to 
account for the slaying of his brother Abel. In Gene- 
sis 4 : 26 we read that, at the time of the birth of Enosh, 
son of Shem, and grandson of Adam, "Then began men 
to call upon the name of Jehovah," but this rendering 
is disputed, and there is no agreement among the best 
Christian exegetes as to its meaning. In Genesis 5 : 24 
we read, "Enoch walked with God ; and he was not, for 
God took him ;" but there is not a hint that any form of 
worship was practiced during that entire period of 
sixteen hundred and fifty-six years. 

One thing seems certain ; the people became degraded 
to the very lowest condition possible to human beings. 
The record says, Genesis 6 : 11, 12, "The earth was cor- 



184 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

rapt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 
And God saw the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt ; for 
all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth." 
What can such language, under such circumstances, 
mean, if not that they knew nothing about God? As 
I understand it, they had no form of worship ; there was 
no recognition of the marriage relation ; no family 
restraints; no social or civil order. They fought one 
another like wild beasts ; and they were more sensually 
corrupt than brutes; for nature imposed no restraint 
upon their lusts. If the shocking condition described 
by the apostle, Eomans 1 : 24-27, was ever true of any 
people on earth, it was certainly true of the inhabitants 
of this godless period. 

Having reached this extreme of pollution and vio- 
lence, and revealed to coming ages the consequences of 
forgetting God and being abandoned of Him, they were 
utterly irredeemable; fit for nothing but to be de- 
stroyed. 

At this time Noah came upon the stage. By what 
means he became acquainted with God we are not 
informed. He "walked with God," and became "a 
preacher of righteousness." To him God made known 
His purpose to "destroy man from the face of the 
ground," and instructed him how he and his family 
might be saved. 

THE SECOND PERIOD 

The second period, from Noah to Abraham, com- 
menced when Noah and his family came out of the ark. 
Observe now Noah's first act after he found himself 
once more on dry land. "Noah builded an altar unto 
Jehovah; and took of every clean beast, and of every 



SUBDUING THE REBELLION 185 

clean bird, and offered burnt offerings upon the altar" 
(Genesis 8: 20). This is the key to the lesson of the 
second period. As we have seen, before the close of 
the first period all idea of God and of worship was lost. 
The solemn lesson of the consequences of forgetting 
God, made emphatic and impressive by its tragic con- 
summation, could never be obliterated from human his- 
tory. Its indelible record was engraved in the face of 
the earth, and would be read and remembered to the 
end of time. The time had come for the human family 
to be taught the importance and necessity of worship, 
without which the spiritual nature of man, that dis- 
tinguishes him from the brute, allies him to his Creator 
and Father, endows him with a life that is endless and 
capable of unlimited development and progress, and 
makes him a moral agent capable of great responsibil- 
ities and happiness, cannot be cultivated and developed. 
From that time to the present all men have wor- 
shiped. Not a nation, tribe, or people has been found 
since, that had no form of worship. Individuals have 
been found, and may be found to-day, in the midst of 
the most devout Christian communities, who, though 
not destitute of an intellectual knowledge of God, are 
practically as godless, thankless, and almost as bestial 
as were the antediluvians ; but no country can be found 
upon the face of the earth that has no form of worship. 

WHAT IS WORSHIP? 

The primary idea of worship is the recognition, on 
the part of the worshiper, of a person superior to him- 
self, possessing abilities, or traits of character, for 
which he has an instinctive admiration. Such a person 
challenges, intuitively, the esteem; and receives, in a 



186 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

greater or less degree according to the superiority rec- 
ognized, his profound respect, deference, honor, rever- 
ence, adoration. 

When these characteristics are associated with bless- 
ings received from the superior, there arises, in addition 
to a sense of inferiority, dependence, admiration, rever- 
ence, a desire to be like him, and an emotion of grati- 
tude, prompting an expression of thankfulness; and, 
when under a sense of want, need of help, insufficiency, 
there is an instinctive prompting to ask of the superior 
the things wanted. All this is in the constitution with 
which the Creator has endowed every human being. 
These are the elements of the human nature that consti- 
tute the basis of his moral and religious instincts: 
characteristics that differentiate the human race from 
everything else that is possessed of animal life ; and the 
conscious and voluntary recognition of this attitude 
of mind, and the outward expression of the acts, to 
which these instincts prompt, is worship. It may be 
subjective and silent ; or it may be objective, expressing 
itself in either word or action, or both. 

Being deeply impressed, by divine illumination as 
well as by the extraordinary experiences through which 
he had passed, and his miraculous escape from the 
annihilation that had overtaken the rest of the race, 
Noah set about establishing a new order of things by 
both precept and example. He was a preacher of 
righteousness, and devoutly worshiped the supreme 
personal Jehovah, though he did not know Him by that 
name. 

It is reasonable to presume that the regular worship 
of the living God was practiced for a long time by 
Noah's descendents, and that its decadence was grad- 



SUBDUING THE REBELLION 187 

ual ; but the "natural depravity" of the human heart, so 
universal still, and so potent in leading men to forget 
God, must have been at the summit of its power at that 
time, if there is any meaning in the word heredity. 

Although Noah succeeded in impressing the necessity 
of worship upon his descendents so effectually that it 
has been a permanent living principle in the life of the 
race ever since, so meager was their acquaintance with 
God, and with His methods of educating and developing 
the race, it was much easier for them to suppose that 
the intelligence that so manifestly presides over the 
forces of nature was inherent in the objects themselves, 
than to carry their research and reasoning farther into 
the unseen, and find it in the personal, living, and imma- 
nent God whom we know and recognize in that connec- 
tion. Hence we find that, although the conscious 
necessity of worship remained ineradicable, they "be- 
came vain in their reasonings, and their senseless heart 
was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they be- 
came fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible 
God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, 
and of birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping 
things." Thus men fell into the habit of idolatry: 
not only worshiping images of men and other animals, 
but also, doubtless because of the benefits received from 
them, and a sense of gratitude for those benefits, the 
sun and moon and the forces of nature, until every use- 
ful object became a god. 

It is worthy of remark at this point, that the highest 
form of idolatry is the worship of ancestors and rulers. 
Men stand next to God; "made but little lower than 
God." 

If the Bible account of this period is not sufficient, 



188 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

consult the early history of China and Egypt. Both 
of these nations had their origin in this period. It is 
evident, then, that the lesson of this period, as an 
advance step in God's progressive plan of conquering 
the great rebellion, was the necessity of worship. 

THE THIRD PERIOD 

The third period, from Abraham to Moses, is called 
the Abrahamic Period. The race having learned, in 
the progress of its education, the necessity of worship, 
the next question would naturally be, What should be 
worshiped? Their method of determining what god 
was able to render them the greatest service seems to 
have been by the issues of battle. 

The descendents of Noah were soon divided into dif- 
ferent families or tribes, each devoted to its own inter- 
ests. Their form of government was patriarchal. 
Their occupations were mostly tending their flocks and 
herds, and raising small crops of grain, sufficient for the 
needs of the tribe. Not much traffic in those days. 
For pastime and amusement, and as a test of their 
fighting qualities, they engaged in predatory excursions 
upon their neighbors. (Fighting always has been and 
still is a favorite pastime for barbarians.) Nothing 
was sure to the tribe to which it belonged unless they 
were able to defend it. In these contests both parties 
went out in the name of their gods; and the winning 
party gave its god or gods the glory, as being the 
mightier. 

These were the circumstances when it pleased God 
to reveal Himself as incomparably superior to all other 
gods, for which purpose He chose out from all others 



SUBDUING THE REBELLION 189 

a single man, without notoriety as being the head of a 
tribe, and "Said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy coun- 
try, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, 
unto a land that I will show thee : and I will make of 
thee a great nation; and I will bless thee, and make 
thy name great; and be thou a blessing; and I will 
bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee 
will I curse: and in thee shall all the families of the 
earth be blessed" (Genesis 12: 1-3). 

Here was an opportunity for Abram to become distin- 
guished in the very line of the highest ambition of the 
time; but could he trust the extraordinary promise? 
In what manner God "said" this we do not know. It 
is not said that God "appeared" unto Abram at this 
time. Was it a dream? Was it a suggestion in 
Abram's mind, that haunted him day and night, until 
it assumed the form of a firm conviction, so impressive 
that he decided to follow it? He could have known 
but little, if anything, about God. There were no 
preachers, no prophets in Padan-Aram in those days. 
It was the most critical moment he, or any other man, 
had ever known. The success or failure of his whole 
life depended upon his decision whether to trust the 
flattering vision, or doubt its verity. 

Let us bear in mind at this critical point of Abram's 
life that God was then, as He is now and always has 
been, both educating the race and developing individ- 
ual ability and character. Abram was but a child, as 
compared with men of seventy-five at the present day ; 
and as for moral character, probably he had never heard 
of such a thing. In both these he must be educated. 
Two conditions must be met before God commits large 
responsibility to any person. These are capability and 



i90 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

trustworthiness. Let us notice Abram's progressive 
education. 

1. He ventures upon the suggestion. This is the 
beginning of faith. His father accompanies him as 
far as Haran, where probably Abram sojourned for 
some time. We read, Genesis 12 : 4, 5, "So Abram 
went, as Jehovah had spoken unto him; and Lot went 
with him; and Abram was seventy and five years old 
when he departed out of Haran. And Abram took 
Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their 
substance that they had gathered, and the souls that 
they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go 
into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan 
they came." 

This was a good beginning. Abram had shown his 
willingness to at least make trial of the promise. After 
giving him time to look through the land, we read, 
Genesis 12 : 7, "And Jehovah appeared unto Abram, 
and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land : and there 
builded he an altar unto Jehovah, who appeared unto 
him." Thus Abram passed successfully through his 
first testing, and gained his first victory and encour- 
agement. Various experiences followed, including 
famine, an unfortunate but instructive sojourn in 
Egypt, and the division of the land between him and 
Lot ; all in the line of discipline of his faith. For his 
encouragement Jehovah appeared to him from time to 
time, renewing His promise to give that land to him and 
to his seed; assuring him of great prosperity, and an 
innumerable posterity. 

In his nomadic manner of life, Abram made several 
removals from place to place; and wherever he went 
"he builded an altar and called upon the name of Jeho- 



SUBDUING THE REBELLION 191 

vah." Thus his acquaintance with Jehovah increased, 
and he realized, as he could not at the first, that God 
who was leading him was vastly superior to the gods he 
had known in Padan-Aram. 

2. Another test of Abram's trustworthiness was his 
wealth. "Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and 
in gold." This is a test that few, even at the present 
time, can pass safely through. "The love of money is 
the root of all evils." "The cares of the world, and 
the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and it 
becometh unfruitful." "I say unto you, It is easier for 
a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich 
man to enter into the kingdom of God." "Woe unto 
you that are rich, for ye have received your consola- 
tion." The usual attendants of riches are pride, self- 
dependence, self-indulgence, needless luxury, ease, 
extortion, covetousness, etc., all of which are forms of 
idolatry. Abram escaped them all, and attained in 
each case the opposite virtue. He broke away from 
idolatry in every form. His faith in the living God as 
an object of worship was complete. 

3. Abram was a man of large authority, and yet 
no tyrant; a very extraordinary virtue in those days. 
At the time that Lot and all his possessions were cap- 
tured by the five kings that made a predatory excursion 
through the region east of the Jordan, and conquered 
everything that opposed them, Abram was able to raise 
an army of three hundred and eighteen men, with which 
he conquered the five kings, and recovered Lot and all 
his possessions. So Abram was a king over the region 
where he dwelt. His refusal to take any reward for 
this distinguished service shows the generosity of his 



192 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

heart, and a true Christian spirit. So, in this test 
also, his faith was triumphant. 

4. The intimate acquaintance and familiarity with 
God to which Abram finally attained is beautifully 
shown in his pleading for the doomed city of Sodom, 
until he hoped he had reached a number of righteous 
that might be found in Lot's family, and save the whole 
city from destruction. He was disappointed in his 
expectation, but the incident is instructive and 
impressive. He was a growing man, both in grace and 
in knowledge. 

5. The supreme trial of Abram's life related to the 
promise, "I will make of thee a great nation." Abram 
knew that this meant that his posterity would become 
numerous and powerful. He knew also that this was 
impossible so long as he had no son. This was perplex- 
ing, for he had but one wife, and she "bare him no 
children." So, after ten years of vain expectation, 
"Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her 
handmaid, and gave her to Abram, her husband, to be 
his wife" (Genesis 16: 3). This was in perfect accord 
with the low civilization of the times, though Abram, 
like Adam, was led into it by his wife. 

The result of this bigamous arrangement was a son. 
This gave hope to Abram, and he cherished Ishmael 
with great love and care. But it was not according to 
God's plan that the lineage of the Savior of the world 
should be traced back to concubinage ; so Ishmael was 
rejected. 

At this critical moment, when Abram's faith seemed 
on the point of practical failure, "Jehovah appeared to 
Abram and said unto him, I am GOD ALMIGHTY; 
walk before me, and be thou perfect" (Genesis 17: 1). 



SUBDUING THE REBELLION 193 

This was a new revelation, and a timely suggestion. 
Abram had believed in the god he had chosen as supe- 
rior to all other gods with which he was acquainted, but 
the idea of an ALMIGHTY GOD had probably never 
entered his mind. This was the first time God had 
revealed Himself to any man as ALMIGHTY. Walk 
before ME is very emphatic. It referred directly to 
Abram's posterity who should inherit the promises 
made to him, and to the rejection of Ishmael as such. 

This was undoubtedly a personal interview, and was 
very significant. Thirteen years had passed since the 
birth of Ishmael : years of just such family discord as 
might and ought to be expected in a bigamous family. 
Abram had had but little comfort, notwithstanding his 
joy in having a son on whom to stay his hope. Let us 
read Genesis 17 : 1-8, "When Abram was ninety years 
old and nine, Jehovah appeared to Abram, and said 
unto him, I am GOD ALMIGHTY ; walk before me, and 
be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant be- 
tween me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. 
And Abram fell on his face and God talked with him, 
saying, As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and 
thou shalt be the father of a multitude of nations. 
Neither shall thy name be called any more Abram (ex- 
alted father), but thy name shall be Abraham (father 
of a multitude) ; for the father of a multiude of nations 
have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding 
fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings 
shall come out of thee. And I will establish my cove- 
nant between me and thee and thy seed after thee 
throughout their generations for an everlasting cove- 
nant, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee. 
And I will give unto thee and to thy seed after thee, the 



194 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

land of thy sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an 
everlasting possession, and I will be their God." 

To make His meaning still more definite, He adds, 
(verses 15, 16), "As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not 
call her name Sarai, but Sarah (princess) shall her 
name be. And I will bless her, and moreover I will 
give thee a son of her: yea, I will bless her, and she 
shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall 
be of her." 

Thus the work of Abraham's education went on, his 
faith in God increasing at every step. He was now 
convinced that Sarah was to be the mother of the prom- 
ised son, and of the nation that was to follow. His 
faith never faltered again on that point ; but it was not 
yet perfected. His severest trial was yet in the future. 

6. In due course of time Isaac was born. Hagar 
and Ishmael were soon disinherited. Isaac grew to 
manhood. Josephus says he was twenty-five years old 
when Abraham's faith had acquired sufficient strength 
to endure its supreme trial. "And it came to pass that 
God did prove Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham; 
and he said, Here am I. And He said, Take now thy 
son, thine only son, whom thou lovest, even Isaac, and 
get thee into the land of Moriah ; and offer him there for 
a burnt-offering upon one of the mountains which I 
will tell thee of" (Genesis 22: 1, 2). Without making 
objection, or even asking why, notwithstanding the 
command was so inconsistent with the promise on which 
he had rested so peacefully and confidently for fifty 
years, "Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled 
his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and 
Isaac his son; and he clave the wood for the burnt- 
offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which 



SUBDUING THE REBELLION 195 

God had told him" (Genesis 22: 3) ; and proceeded to 
the carrying out of his instructions. Leaving the two 
young men at the foot of the mountain, he said to them, 
"Abide ye here, and I and the lad will go yonder; and 
we will worship and come again to you." Note that : 
We will worship and come again. What did he mean ? 
Read Hebrews 11 : 19, "Accounting that God is able 
to raise up, ever from the dead." There is faith that 
may well be called sublime. 

That he fully expected to slay Isaac is evident. 
"Abraham took the wood of the burnt-offering, and laid 
it upon Isaac his son ; and he took in hand the fire and 
the knife ; and they went both of them together. And 
Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My 
father ; and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, 
Behold, the fire and the wood ; but where is the lamb for 
a burnt-offering? and Abraham said, God will provide 
himself the lamb for a burnt-offering, my son : so they 
went both of them together." Another touch of sub- 
lime faith ! and how wonderfully it terminated ! God 
did, indeed, provide Himself a lamb. "They came to 
the place which God had told him of; and Abraham 
built the altar there, and laid the wood in order, and 
bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, upon the 
wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and 
took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of Jeho- 
vah called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, 
Abraham ; and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay 
not thy hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything 
unto him ; for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing 
thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from 
me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and 
behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his 



196 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

horns : and Abraham went and took the ram, and offer- 
ed him up for a burnt-offering in the stead of his son" 
(Genesis 22: 9-13). 

Where, in the whole range of human events, will you 
find a more perfect illustration of the saying, "Facts 
are more wonderful than fiction ?" If the whole trans- 
action had been prearranged, the actors could not have 
performed their parts more fittingly or more perfectly 
than it was done. There is no other way of accounting 
rationally for the story itself, than that the several 
incidents transpired, under divine management, just as 
here related ; and a record of the same made at the time 
by Abraham himself, which was subsequently compiled, 
together with other family records, by Moses, for the 
use of Abraham's posterity — the children of Israel. 

The great lesson of the Abrahamic age was complete. 
Abraham reached the very summit of faith in Jehovah 
as the ALMIGHTY GOD, with whom no other could be 
compared; and that fact has been held sacredly and 
without a shadow of doubt by all the loyal subjects of 
the Kingdom of God ever since. 

"be thou a blessing" 

There is another lesson found in this period to which 
I have never seen or heard even an allusion — a lesson 
that can hardly be considered secondary to the one just 
considered. It is found in God's first message to Abra- 
ham, Genesis 12 : 2, "Be thou a blessing." The proba- 
ble reason why the significance of this precept has 
attracted no attention is found in the faulty rendering 
in the version of 1611. The Revision of 1885 is the first 
to give this rendering : in doing which the revisers have 
done the world a service of inestimable importance. 



SUBDUING THE REBELLION 197 

These words contain the first intimation found in the 
Scriptures — the first ever given to the human race, of 
the universal human duty of doing good to others. 

The influence of this precept over the life of Abraham 
is very observable. We have referred to the prevalence 
of robbery, predatory excusions, in those days — the 
perfect absence of regard for even the rights of others ; 
to say nothing of doing others good. Now observe, in 
all Abraham's history there is not an instance recorded 
where he committed a wrong or infringed in any way 
upon the rights of any other man. There are, however, 
several instances where his conduct reveals his purpose 
to obey this precept. The favor he always enjoyed 
with his neighbors is very significant of this fact. When 
Abraham wanted a burial-place for Sarah, and said to 
the children of Heth, among whom he had spent more 
than fifty years, "I am a stranger and a sojourner 
among you: give me a possession of a burial-place 
among you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight," 
the answer they gave him showed the estimation in 
which he was held by them ; "And the children of Heth 
answered, saying unto him, Hear us, my lord : thou art 
a prince of God among us : in the choice of our sepul- 
chers bury thy dead" (Genesis 23:4, 5). Thus the 
daily life of Abraham was one of the crowning exhibi- 
tions of his faith. He dared trust the ALMIGHTY 
GOD for worldly prosperity, without resorting to the 
selfish methods of the times in which he lived ; and also 
for defense from hostile depredations from others. 
There is no record of enmity or disregard of his rights 
ever being shown against him by any people or individ- 
ual. In the exercise of his sublime faith he found it 
possible to "live in peace with all men." It is also 



198 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

worthy of note that the altruistic spirit so manifest in 
him was appreciated and reciprocated by the heathenish 
people among whom he lived. He must have done 
some missionary work among them. Surely, it is well 
that he should be called "The Father of the Faithful." 



CHAPTER XIV 



SUBDUING THE REBELLION CONTINUED 



THE next period, the Mosaic, commencing with 
God's personal interview with Moses from the 
burning bush, and extending to the commence- 
ment of the public ministry of our Savior, is fraught 
with many lessons, all of them preparatory for that 
ministry, and for the dispensation that was inaugurated 
by it. 

As students advance with their education, studies 
multiply in number, and the problems to be solved 
become more difficult. The world, at least God's chosen 
people, had, at length, reached a stage of advancement 
that enabled them to receive practical object-lessons in 
the study of the details of God's plan of salvation ; that 
is, His method of subduing the great rebellion, into 
which the whole human race had fallen. 

1. The first significant event of this period was the 
revelation to Moses from the burning bush of God's 
personality and His personal name Jehovah, in such a 
manner as should make the fact positive, indisputable, 
unquestionable, for all future time. How this was ac- 
complished is treated at length in Chapter I. 

This revelation laid the foundation for the reforma- 
tion of the entire world from every form of idolatry : a 
lesson that is but partially learned even at the present 



200 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

day, and by the most enlightened and most Christian- 
ized of the earth's inhabitants. "Thou shalt have no 
other gods before me" is the hardest lesson to learn and 
obey ever given to the human race. It required nine 
hundred years of most faithful, persistent, and severe 
discipline, to cure the Jews, God's chosen people, to 
whom He first gave the commandment, of the worship 
of images, which is only one form of idolatry, and the 
grossest and most irrational of them all. 

There is at least an appearance of reasonableness in 
the worship of rulers who are in authority, and of an- 
cestors who have left a noble record for those who come 
after them. There is also some excuse, based upon 
extreme ignorance, for the worship of such objects of 
nature as are the media through which Our Father 
supplies the needs of His children. To minds that, 
at that time, were incapable of apprehending spiritual 
things ; men on whose intelligence the reality of a per- 
sonal, living God had never dawned, and who knew 
nothing of nature's laws, it is little marvel that the 
sun should be held in very high esteem as the source 
of light and heat; so essential to the very existence of 
animal life and vegetable growth; and also the moon, 
as a substitute for the sun in its absence; and the 
earth, as a wonderful mother from whose bountiful 
breast could be drawn abundant supplies for every 
necessity and comfort of animal life ; and so on through 
the whole catalog; but, for the worship of senseless 
blocks of wood, or stone, or clay, or silver, or gold, there 
was never even an excuse. 

The persistent idolatry of the Jews after they came 
out of Egypt is the most astonishing thing in their his- 
tory, except the parts performed by God Himself. The 



SUBDUING THE REBELLION 201 

bondage in which they had been held, symbolical of the 
bondage of sin, had steeped their very souls in idolatry, 
and almost obliterated from every mind the last idea 
of the Almighty God — the God of Abraham and Isaac 
and Jacob. There were a few exceptions, of whom 
Moses and Caleb and Joshua were examples. Whether 
Aaron should be included in this list of exceptions is 
almost doubtful, in view of the readiness with which 
he complied with the demand of the people in the mat- 
ter of the golden calf at Sinai. 

2. The necessity of that strange journey of forty 
years in the wilderness was twofold: — first, that those 
who came out of Egypt, steeped in idolatry that had 
been growing upon them for two hundred and fifteen 
years, might die, and not carry their idolatrous habits 
into Canaan; and secondly, that a new generation 
might be raised up, who knew nothing but dependence 
upon Jehovah, for the supply of all their daily necessi- 
ties; that, if possible, there might be no tendency to 
idolatry among them. Deuteronomy 8:3, 4, "He fed 
thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did 
thy fathers know ; that he might make thee know that 
man doth not live by bread alone, but by every thing 
that proceedeth out of the mouth of Jehovah doth man 
live. Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither 
did thy foot swell, those forty years." 

One would suppose that the knowledge of a living, 
personal God, inculcated in such an impressive manner, 
and re-enforced by the command, "Thou shalt have no 
other gods before me ;" and made real by frequent per- 
sonal interviews, would have rendered further instruc- 
tion and discipline in that matter unnecessary for all 
time and all people ; but the pitiable story of that peo- 



202 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

pie, and the condition of the world to-day, reveal very 
different results. It required nine hundred years more 
of instruction, discipline, and severe chastisement, in- 
volving the utter annihilation of ten of their twelve 
tribes, and the merging of the two that remained 
(Judah and Benjamin) into one, and seventy years of 
slavish bondage of the remnant in Babylon, the whole 
re-enforced, from the beginning to the end, by the most 
loving, parental solicitude and pleading of the Father, 
by the mouth of His prophets, accompanied by the most 
extraordinary promises of divine favor, prosperity, and 
exaltation among the nations, on condition of obedi- 
ence; and assurance of the most disastrous conse- 
quences of disobedience; to impress upon their minds 
the meaning of that first commandment. 

At the close of the Babylonish captivity only a pitiful 
remnant of the multitudes of Israel was left to return 
to Jerusalem, and save the whole nation from utter 
annihilation; but they returned thoroughly cured of 
idolatry, so far as the worship of images is concerned. 

3. Deliverance from bondage. There is no part of 
the history of God's ancient people more significant in 
its symbolic meaning than this. As already noticed, 
their bondange symbolized the bondage of all who are 
"in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity." 
This is an important lesson for those who think it is 
such an easy thing for men to become Christians that 
they do not know when their "bond of iniquity" was 
broken, how it was broken, nor even whether it has 
been broken ; which is pretty good evidence that it has 
not been broken. 

In describing the deliverance of the children of Israel 
from their bondage, Moses appeals to them on this wise. 



SUBDUING THE REBELLION 203 

Deuteronomy 4 : 32-34, "Ask now of the days that are 
past, which were before thee, since the day that God cre- 
ated man upon the earth, and from the one end of heaven 
unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing 
as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it? Did 
ever a people hear the voice of God speaking out of the 
midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live ? Or hath 
God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst 
of another nation, by trials, by signs, said by wonders, 
and by war, and by a mighty hand, and: by an out- 
stretched arm, and by great terrors, according to all 
that Jehovah your God did for you in Egypt before your 
eyes?" A few of the particulars of that deliverance 
must be noticed. 

a. The unconquerable and persistent determination 
of Pharaoh not to let the people go. How fitly this 
represents the persistent efforts of our archenemy to 
hold in everlasting bondage those who would "recover 
themselves out of the snare of the devil, having been 
taken captive by him unto his will." He who antici- 
pates an easy victory over sin entertains a very danger- 
ous error : and he who expects to be released from that 
bondage without divine grace and help will remain a 
bond-slave of the devil so long as he indulges that 
expectation. 

h. No less observable is the treachery of Pharaoh. 
Ten times, overcome by the plagues that Jehovah visited 
upon him, he promised to let the people go, and ten 
times he treacherously refused to keep his promise. 
Satan himself could hardly show greater treachery than 
that, except in the number of repetitions. 

c. The blood. Passing over minor details for the 
present, each of which doubtless has its signficance, we 



204 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

shall note simply the utility of the blood in this trans- 
action, as it appears on the face of the record. Its 
symbolic meaning will be treated later. 

The requirement was that households, or adjoining 
neighbors, should be gathered into separate houses in 
such numbers as might be able to consume at a single 
meal an entire lamb ; and that the lintel and side-posts 
of the door of each house where companies or families 
were gathered should be smeared with the blood of the 
lamb that should be slain for the meal that was to be 
eaten within. The object of the blood upon the lintel 
and posts of the door is stated, Exodus 12 : 13 ; "The 
blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where 
ye are ; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, 
and there shall no plague be upon you to destroy you, 
when I smite the land of Egypt." Another object inci- 
dental to the occasion, is easily inferred; namely, that 
they might have a good, hearty meal, on which to com- 
mence their perilous and tedious journey. 

d. The next particular that must not be omitted is 
the miraculous manner in which they were enabled to 
escape from the land of Egypt, and the vengeance of 
Pharaoh's pursuing host and power, by crossing the 
northwest arm of the Red Sea. After making all pos- 
sible allowance for the employment of natural forces 
and circumstances, some of which were evidently 
employed, there still remains abundant evidence that 
the whole wonderful event was affected by the direct 
overruling hand of Jehovah. 

As the very highest authority among men on this sub- 
ject, I quote the following paragraph from an extraor- 
dinary work by Professor G. Frederic Wright, D. D., 
LL. D., Professor of Harmony and Science and Revela- 



SUBDUING THE REBELLION 205 

tion in Oberlin Theological Seminary, published 1906. 
entitled "Scientific Confirmations of Old Testament 
History;" a work with which every minister of the 
gospel and every Bible student should be familiar. On 
pages 113, 114, we read, "A mediate miracle. In analy- 
zing the miracle, we need not trouble ourselves with 
the task of determining the exact point at which the 
immediate agency of God enters into the chain of nat- 
ural causes, to direct their action to the accomplishment 
of this specific purpose. Some would prefer to think 
of this physical phenomenon as foreordained from eter- 
nity; the causes which would lead to it having been 
incorporated into the original creation. But even then 
we cannot regard as accidental the conjunction of this 
foreordained effect with the operations of the children 
of Israel on this particular day. It was by divine fore- 
thought that the line of march of the children of Israel 
led them to this point at this particular time ; and that 
Moses was able to inspire them with confidence to take 
up their march when he should stretch out his rod over 
the retiring waters. Such a conjunction of vast phys- 
ical forces coming to the relief of a people in their dire 
necessity has in it all the marks of design which the 
human mind needs, to connect the event directly with 
the will of God. 

"But we are not shut up to this single explanation of 
God's relation to the event. The men of science have 
no formula by which they can eliminate God from 
direct activity in so controlling the forces of nature as 
to bring about new combinations and new results, as 
the exigencies of history and the action of man's free 
will may require. It is easy for God, and no more 
inconsistent with what we know of the laws of nature, 



206 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

that He should start a storm which should be far-reach- 
ing in its influence, as that man should blow a bellows 
to dust his mantle or kindle his fire. Science has no 
final word for the question which here meets us. This 
strong east wind may have been as directly aroused for 
this occasion as is the puff of our own breath with 
which we warm our fingers or cool our porridge. In 
both cases the action of the powers of nature is modified 
and diverted to the accomplishment of specific purposes 
which nature alone would not have accomplished." 

This view of this wonderful event is the result of per- 
sonal study of the locality, of the forces of nature as 
there exercised, and of the history as recorded in the 
Word of God, by a man who stands second to no man 
living or dead, in that particular branch of science, as 
connected with Biblical interpretation. It is also 
characterized by safe and sane common sense. 

4. The next lesson of this dispensation to which we 
wish to call attention is the immanent providence of 
Our Father in supplying the wants and directing the 
affairs of His family. This lesson is taught in the 
marvelous manner in which He gave them water from 
the rock, fed them with manna, gave them laws civil 
and spiritual, fought their battles for them, and gave 
them finally the inheritance He promised to Abraham 
and his seed centuries before. Given to His people at 
that time, like all the lessons given to the world in the 
past, it is for us just as much as it was for them. What 
does it signify? 

"Ye are God's husbandry" (Greek, tilled land). This 
is God's world, and He is cultivating it, "according to 
the good pleasure of His will," just as the farmer works 
his farm. In either case the fact that there are weeds, 



SUBDUING THE REBELLION 207 

destructive insects, unfavorable circumstances, difficul- 
ties to be overcome, does not hinder the progress of the 
work. The largest factor in all the affairs of this 
world, whether of nations or individuals, is God. The 
history of nations is more really the record of the deal- 
ings of God with them than of their dealings with one 
another ; and the same is true in the history of individ- 
uals. "Man proposes, but God disposes." It is a les- 
son that the world is slow to learn, but it is understood 
better to-day than it was by the Jews when they were 
passing through the wilderness. When we study life 
from the view-point of Our Father, and recognize the 
Father's love and providence, and sovereignty in the 
management of the family, and fall in with His plan, 
and cooperate with Him in everything that will pro- 
mote the highest good of the entire family, we shall 
learn how to live, and how to promote our own highest 
good, and our prayer, "Thy will be done on earth as it 
is in heaven" will be answered. 

In the history of this people, as recorded at the time 
by Moses himself or by his Secretary of State, it is con- 
tinually stated that Jehovah did this, and Jehovah said 
that; recognizing Jehovah as the superintendent and 
executor of all their affairs. This is the only way to 
write history truly. Behind all the conduct of men, in 
national, social, commercial, and religious affairs, is the 
superintendence of God's providence over all the affairs 
of all men, at all times. Nor does this superintendence 
interfere with the free agency of each individual. He 
deals with all just as their attitude toward Him re- 
quires of a loving Father, who lives for the highest good 
of His family. Read Psalms 18 : 24-26, "Jehovah hath 
recompensed me according to my righteousness, accord- 



208 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

ing to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight. With 
the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful; with the 
perfect man thou wilt show thyself perfect; with the 
pure thou wilt show thyself pure ; and with the perverse 
thou wilt show thyself froward." 

This is the great fact that should be kept in mind in 
all our efforts to be "God's fellow workers." It is only 
when we cooperate with Him that "our labor is not in 
vain in the Lord." This is also the meaning of our 
prayer, if we use intelligently the words that Jesus has 
given us, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, as in 
heaven so on earth." This is the attitude to which the 
whole world will be brought, when "every knee shall 
bow, and every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is 
Lord, to the glory of God the Father;" and "the king- 
doms of this world become the kingdom of our Lord 
and of his Christ." 

This is one of the lessons that the world has yet to 
learn ; and it is fully time that at least those who have 
professedly submitted to His authority, and professed 
their filial love and loyal obedience to Him, understood 
and observed the fact more perfectly than they do. 
Among all the fine sayings of Shakespeare, the best, the 
most weighty in its significance, is this: "There is a 
divinity that shapes our ends, rough-hew them as we 
will." 

This great fact is, perhaps, more easily observed in 
God's dealings with nations than with individuals, 
though no more truthful, and scarcely more heeded. 
Sure I am that the people of this favored land, espe- 
cially those who are in authority — legislators and exec- 
utive officers — would conduct the affairs of our govern- 
ment very differently from what they do, if they remem- 



SUBDUING THE REBELLION 209 

bered and realized that "He changetk the times and the 
seasons : He removeth kings, and setteth up kings ; 
He giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them 
that have understanding: He knoweth what is in the 
darkness, and the light dwelleth with Him" (Daniel 
2:21). This was true at the time Daniel uttered it; 
and it is just as true to-day. Let those who are en- 
trusted with the affairs of this government understand 
this and heed it, and all will be well. No one doubts 
that it was the hand of Providence that founded this 
nation ; that delivered it from the rule of Great Britain ; 
that has prospered it and made it a great nation. Shall 
we now forget that the favor of God is just as necessary 
for the preservation of our liberties, and the perpetua- 
tion of our national existence, as it was in making us 
what we are? The following promises, quoted from 
Deuteronomy 28 : 1-8, are made to us as truly as they 
were to Israel; "It shall come to pass, if thou shalt 
hearken diligently unto the voice of Jehovah thy God, to 
observe to do all his commandments which I command 
thee this day, that Jehovah thy God will set thee on 
high above all the nations of the earth : and all these 
blessings shall come upon thee, and overtake thee, if 
thou shalt hearken unto the voice of Jehovah thy God. 
Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou 
be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, 
and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy beasts, 
the increase of thy cattle, and the young of thy flock. 
Blessed shall be thy basket and thy kneading-trough: 
Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed 
shalt thou be when thou goest out. Jehovah will cause 
thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten 
before thee : they shall come out against thee one way, 



210 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

and shall flee before thee seven ways. Jehovah will 
command the blessing upon thee in thy barns, and in all 
that thou puttest thy hand unto ; and he will bless thee 
in the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee." 

5. Another lesson that this dispensation impressed 
irradicably into the life, civilization, and religion of the 
world was the observance of one day in seven as a day 
sacred to Jehovah — a day of cessation from the ordi- 
nary wage-earning avocations of life, and of solemn 
convocation for the purpose of worship. Read Exodus 
31 : 12-17, "And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, 
Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, 
Verily ye shall keep thy sabbaths : for it is a sign between 
me and you throughout your generations : that ye may 
know that I am Jehovah who sanctifieth you. Ye 
shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto 
you. Every one that profaneth it shall surely be put 
to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that 
soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days 
shall work be done : but on the seventh day is a sabbath 
of solemn rest, holy to Jehovah: whosoever doeth any 
work on the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to 
death. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep 
the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their 
generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign be- 
tween me and the children of Israel forever : for in six 
days Jehovah made heaven and earth, and on the sev- 
enth day he rested, and was refreshed." Read also 
Leviticus 23 : 3, "Six days shall work be done ; but on 
the seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, a holy con- 
vocation : ye shall do no manner of work : it is a sabbath 
unto Jehovah in all your dwellings." 

We see from the above quotations from God's own 



SUBDUING THE REBELLION 211 

lips that it was His purpose to subserve one great end, 
of supreme importance to every human soul, by the 
employment of two very simple and pleasant means. 
The means are, cessation from wealth-producing labor, 
thereby recuperating overtaxed physical energies; and 
a "holy convocation," for a season of social worship; 
the object of both being a sign — a reminder — "that ye 
may know that I am Jehovah who sanctifieth you." 

The great tendency of the world, in all ages even 
down to the present time, has been to forget God. One 
moment's thought will enable any one to see how per- 
fectly the observance of the sabbath in the manner here 
prescribed is adapted to prevent this. No person, no 
people, will ever become heathenized, as the American 
people are becoming heathenized to-day, if they, no 
matter what their personal surroundings may be, 
sacredly, conscientiously, solemnly observe these two 
positive ordinances of Jehovah, to be kept "throughout 
your generations." Do no work on the sabbath, and 
go regularly to church, and you will not forget God. 

On the other hand, No person who habitually disre- 
gards these requirements, either or both of them, can 
escape severance from the smile and favor of God, and 
from the sweet communions of His Spirit. Further- 
more, in every case where such a course of disregard is 
pursued, actual heathenism, forgetfulness of God, will 
be the inevitable result ; and this truth is being verified 
to an alarming degree by every grade of American citi- 
zens to-day, except, of course, those who lovingly, faith- 
fully, habitually, obey both these commandments. "Be 
not deceived ; God is not mocked : for whatsoever a man 
soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth unto 
his own flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption : but he 



212 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

that soweth unto the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap 
eternal life" (Galatians 6:7, 8). To make sure what 
the keeping of the sabbath holy includes, read Isaiah 
58 : 13, 14, "If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, 
from doing thy pleasure on my holy day, and call the 
sabbath a delight, and the holy of Jehovah, honorable; 
and shalt honor it, not doing thine own ways, nor finding 
thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words, then 
shalt thou delight thyself in Jehovah ; and I will make 
thee to ride upon the high places of the earth ; and I will 
feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father ; for the 
mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it." Now, my dear reader, 
for your soul's sake remember "the word of the Lord 
abideth forever." In all the history of the world God 
has never failed to keep His promises. Follow these 
instructions closely to the letter, and note the result. 

The death penalty for disregard of this commandment 
may seem severe ; but it is intended to symbolize the ter- 
rible fact that spiritual death is the sure result of dis- 
regarding it. "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it 
HOLY." 

We might close this incident at this point; but since 
we are pursuing our studies from the view-point of "Our 
Father," and since it is right and proper that parents 
should give to their children reasons for their require- 
ments, we deem it in order to inquire on what ground 
God bases His right to require this sacrifice of our 
time, when we may seem to need it so much. 

It is not sufficient to say, He is our Sovereign, and has 
a right to require what He pleases, for no other reason 
than His own will in the case. That is not consistent 
with fatherhood, nor with the nature of a moral gov- 
ernment. Despots may claim that "The king can do 



SUBDUING THE REBELLION 213 

no wrong;" but it is not true; and Our Father bases 
His requirements on no such claim. He says, "Come 
now, and let us reason together." 

Neither is it sufficient to say, He has so created us 
that we need the rest ; and that it is in our interest that 
He makes the requirement. That is true, but it is not 
sufficient. He wants us to pursue our inquiries fur- 
ther. He had a reason for so creating man, and He 
wants us to find that reason. He has made no require- 
ment of any man, the reason for which He is unwilling 
we should know ; and our interest demands that we find 
that reason just as imperatively as that we obey the 
precept. What is that reason ? 

There can be no moral character except under moral 
relations. All moral obligations grow out of, are 
based upon, moral relations. This is the ground of all 
rights, as well as of all duties. Moreover, in a moral 
government — a government of moral agents — no one, 
king or subject, father or child, has a right to anything, 
material, mental, or spiritual, for which an equivalent 
is not rendered in some form. On this fundamental 
axiom of morals is based God's right to everything He 
demands of us. 

The logical ground, then, on which the command is 
based, to observe the sabbath in the manner prescribed, 
may be stated in this way : God says, "All time is mine. 
You may use six days of my time as you choose, re- 
membering always your moral accountability for every- 
thing you do. To these days you shall have a legal 
right ; but the seventh day I reserve to myself. In the 
exercise of your free agency, you are liable to forget me 
as the creator and owner of all things, and the most 
important factor in all your affairs; and imagine that 



214 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

you are sole owner of all that I put into your possession 
as my steward. For this reason, to guard you against 
such an error, damaging and fatal to your own welfare 
and prosperity and happiness, I reserve sole right to 
every seventh day. Not a single moment of that day 
shall be yours, as the six days are yours. During the 
six days you do as you choose. I shall not interfere in 
any way with the freedom of your will during that 
time; but the seventh day I reserve to myself, and 
require you to recognize that fact in the manner I have 
prescribed. I will give you something to do, something 
to think about, that will yield you more profit than 
any employment you can devise; and give you more 
pleasure, more satisfaction, more happiness, than any 
form of pleasure-taking you can invent. Trust me 
now ; follow my instructions : I am Jehovah, your 
Father-Sovereign. Obey me and it will be well with 
you." 

Thus it will be seen that we have no more right to 
employ the hours of the sabbath day, or any part of 
them, for financial profit, or for mere pleasure, than 
we have to take money from a neighbor's pocket, or 
wheat from his granary; and the recognition of this 
fact and its faithful observance are of more importance 
to us than to Him who requires it of us. "He that sin- 
neth against God wrongeth his own soul" (Pro v. 
8: 36). Let every man beware that He does not "rob 
God" of His time, and that robbery prove his ruin. 

6. On the same ground the Mosaic law emphasizes 
God's right to the tithe of all our increase. Lev. 27 : 30, 
32, "All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of 
the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is Jehovah's: it 
is holy unto Jehovah. All the tithe of the herd or 



SUBDUING THE REBELLION 215 

the flock, whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth 
shall be holy unto Jehovah." Deut. 14 : 22, 23, "Thou 
shalt surely tithe all the increase of the seed, that 

which cometh forth from the field year by year 

that thou mayest learn to fear Jehovah always." The 
logic of this law is the same as that concerning the 
sabbath. Psalm 24 : 11, "The earth is Jehovah's, and 
the fulness thereof." Psalm 50 : 10, "Every beast of the 
forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills." 
Haggai 2 : 8, "The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, 
saith Jehovah of hosts." Joel 3 : 5, "Ye have taken my 
silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples 
my goodly precious things." 

Since these all belong to Jehovah, and we have need 
to use them, He says, "Make yourself perfectly at home 
in this world of mine. Use everything just as you 
choose. I make you self-determining stewards of 
the whole of it, but only stewards. I shall never relin- 
quish ownership of a single square inch of the land, or 
a single hoof of herd or flock : and, lest you forget that 
they are all mine, you must pay me (not give me) one- 
tenth of all your increase (not income). You and I 
are partners in this business ; and I am senior partner. 
I own everything, and furnish everything; you do the 
work, and take nine-tenths of all the increase ; the other 
tenth belongs to me, as recognition of my ownership. 
It is my rent for the use of my land, my animals, my 
trees, my silver, my gold, my air, my sunshine, and 
my rain. Deal fairly and honestly with me now, and 
I will deal generously with you. I will cause your 
neighbors to be kindly disposed toward you ; and buyers 
shall pay you good prices for your products; and ] 
will cause prosperity to come to you in many ways that 



216 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

you never suspect. But remember, Never claim a 
single cent of my share as your own, nor use any of it, 
under any circumstances, as capital on which to specu- 
late, under the delusion that you will have more for me. 
I will open ways before you through which you may 
distribute it for the glory of my name, the suppression 
of the great rebellion, the bringing in of the glories of 
my kingdom ; and it shall all finally be credited to your 
advantage and glory, both in this life and the life to 
come." 

Dear reader, that is the way God is talking to you 
respecting the matter of tithing all the profits you make 
in the use of this beautiful and fertile world of His. 
Will it not be wise and profitable for you to listen, and 
heed every word He speaks? Believe God and try it. 
He is your Father. 

We have selected the above six lessons as illustrations 
of the methods God employed at that period of the 
progress of the race to instruct, develop, educate the 
race. Doubtless every particular event of that entire 
dispensation, and the periods that preceded it, was sym- 
bolic of some law, some experience, some doctrine, of 
the Christian dispensation in which we live; showing 
also how God, as an instructor, has always adapted 
His methods to the condition of the people whom He 
would instruct. God's plan of saving men from sin — 
in other words, of completely subduing the great rebel- 
lion by winning His wandering children from their de- 
lusions and self-destruction back to filial love and loyal 
obedience through the self-denying example, miraculous 
works, superhuman wisdom and instruction, and un- 
paralleled suffering in the garden and on the cross, 
of His "only begotten Son," which is the consummation 
of all the symbols employed, will be treated in the chap- 
ters that follow. 



CHAPTER XV 



THE CHRISTIAN ERA ATTITUDE OF THE FATHER 



SO LONG as the heir is a child, he differeth 
nothing from a bondservant, though he is 
lord of all ; but is under guardians and 
stewards until the day appointed of the father. So we 
also, when we were children, were held in bondage 
under the rudiments of the world : but when the fulness 
of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a 
woman, born under the law, that He might redeem 
them that were under the law, that we might receive the 
adoption of sons" (Galatians 4: 1-5). 

The human race had at length passed through its 
minorage, and reached its manhood. Through the 
educational discipline of the preceding ages, some minds 
had at length reached a stage of development that 
made the conception of the spiritual nature of God's 
kingdom possible; though no one, even then, compre- 
hended that spiritual nature, until the divine Mes- 
senger, whom the Father sent to proclaim and teach it, 
had finished His work and left the world. No mention 
of the kingdom by prophet, seer, or historian, during 
all the preceding ages, had either expressed or suggested 
any other idea than that the promised kingdom would 
be of the same nature as the kingdoms with which they 
were acquainted, at the time the prophecies were 



218 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

uttered. David's idea is found in Psalm 2 : 7-9, "Jehovah, 
said unto me, Thou art my son ; this day have I begot- 
ten thee. Ask of me, and I will give thee the nations 
for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the 
earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with 
a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a 
potter's vessel." Isaiah's idea is found in his prophecy, 
9 : 6, 7, "Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given ; 
and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and 
his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty 
God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the 
increase of his government and of peace there shall be 
no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his king- 
dom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and 
with righteousness, from henceforth even forever. The 
zeal of Jehovah of hosts will perform this." In Daniel 
2 : 44 we read, "In the days of those kings shall the God 
of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be 
destroyed; nor shall the sovereignty thereof be left to 
another people; but it shall break in pieces and con- 
sume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever." 

David and Daniel express their idea of the nature of 
the kingdom in their representations of the means by 
which this kingdom will gain its triumph over other 
kingdoms. David says, "Thou shalt break them with 
a rod of iron ; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a 
potter's vessel." That was David's method of subdu- 
ing his enemies, and he knew no other. Daniel says, 
"It shall break in pieces and consume all these king- 
doms." Isaiah's model of the kingdom is "the throne 
of David." Not one of them had Jesus' idea of the 
method of His conquest. He says, John 12 : 32, "And 
I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men 



THE CHRISTIAN ERA 219 

unto myself." It is an important fact to be observed 
that, when Jesus commenced His ministry, there was 
not a man living who had the slightest idea of the 
spiritual nature of His kingdom. His declaration to 
Pilate, "My kingdom is not of this world," was an 
inexplicable mystery. When Pilate proposed to release 
him, the Jews objected, saying, "If thou release this 
man, thou art not Caesar's friend." Even down to His 
last hour upon the earth His own disciples had not 
apprehended its nature; for they, at the time of His 
ascension, asked Him, "Dost thou at this time restore 
the kingdom to Israel ?" manifestly having no other idea 
than that His kingdom was of a physical instead of a 
spiritual nature. 

Our studies are from the view-point of "Our Father," 
and our intention is to find His view of all these 
matters if possible. When I can see the situation just 
as it existed in His mind at that time, and study His 
method of saving the world, as it is revealed to us in the 
life, teaching, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus 
His Son, I believe I shall be able to understand it as 
it has never been understood up to this time. With 
this end in view, we notice first, The effect this rebellion 
had upon the attitude of God toward this rebellious 
world. 

We are all aware how rebellion affects the govern- 
ments of this world ; and the measures invariably taken 
by our rulers to suppress it, and "stamp it out." 
Armies are mobilized, equipped with the most destruc- 
tive implements of war, and sent forth with orders to 
slay the rebels, destroy their homes, lay their cities in 
ashes, and make their lands desolate. In ancient times, 
after burning their cities they sowed the ruins with 



220 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

salt to make the desolation complete. Well does God 
say, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are 
your ways my ways. As the heavens are higher than 
the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and 
my thoughts than your thoughts." 

Poets and philosophers are agreed that the motherly 
element, as well as the fatherly, is found in the divine 
nature. "God is our Father and our Mother too." 
If there were any need of evidence of this fact, it surely 
may be found in the attitude the Father has always 
maintained toward His rebellious children. True, He 
destroyed with a flood the degenerates of the first 
period, to teach all coming generations the consequences 
of so completely forgetting and forsaking God as to 
become incorrigible and irredeemable; but since that 
time, though grieved and pained by their rebellious 
attitude toward Him, His interest in them has never 
for a moment weakened; and His love has followed 
them to the last moment of hope for their return to 
their Father's house, and to His reasonable service ; and 
ceased not even when hope must be abandoned. Hear 
His pleading, "As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, I 
have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that 
the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, 
turn ye, from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O 
house of Israel" (Ezekiel 33: 11) ? "How shall I give 
thee up, Ephraim? how shall I cast thee off, Israel? how 
shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as 
Zeboiim? my heart is turned within me, my compas- 
sions are kindled together" (Hosea 11:8). How 
forcibly these appeals to rebellious Israel remind us of 
Isaiah 49 : 15, "Can a woman forget her sucking child, 
that she should not have compassion on the son of her 



THE CHRISTIAN ERA 221 

womb? Yea, these may forget, yet will not I forget 
thee." His is truly the love that "beareth all things, 
believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all 
things," and "never faileth." Moved by parental com- 
passion, "God commendeth his love toward us, in that 
while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." 

Let us notice as we pass, the bold contrast between 
these declarations of the Father Himself and the doc- 
trines that have been taught for centuries — I mean the 
doctrine that God was so angry with sinful man, so 
full of wrath, that He would consent to pardon even the 
penitent only on condition that His "only begotten 
Son" would die in their stead. Let it be borne in mind, 
in all our studies of God's dealings with the children of 
men, whether in our daily experiences, or in His meth- 
ods of saving us from sin, that any doctrine that is 
inconsistent with fatherly or motherly love is neces- 
sarily false for that reason. 

The only thought or feeling the loving, motherly 
Father has ever entertained toward our fallen race is, 
"How can I win back to filial love and loyal obedience 
those deluded, wretched, wandering children? How 
shall I undeceive them of their mistaken idea of my 
attitude toward them? Words cannot do it, for I 
have plead with them from the beginning. Fatherly 
providence, and special manifestations of my great 
interest in them and care for them pass unheeded before 
their eyes. Judgments, even the destruction of the 
race, are fruitless and unavailing. What shall I, what 
can I do? The holy angels cannot be made to under- 
stand the merciful manner in which I want to deal with 
them, for they have never seen any manifestation of it ; 
and they could not comprehend it, if I were to explain 



222 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

it to them; neither could they sympathize fully with 
sinful men, for they know nothing about a human 
nature. In the working of my kingdom, they can do 
many things, and serve the children of men in many 
ways, but here is a work they cannot do. 

"One thing only remains that can be done : I can send 
my beloved Son. He is fully competent for the work, 
for every divine attribute belongs to Him in His nature, 
as it belongs to myself. He fully understands the 
very depths of my soul; for He is my substance and 
nature, and has dwelt in the bosom of my confidence 
from the beginning. I will send Him in a human body 
like their own, in which He will be subject to all the 
wants, necessities, inconveniences, and sufferings of a 
human life; and through which His understanding of 
them and His sympathy with them, will be complete. 
In His humanity He will be in perfect touch with them ; 
and in His divinity He will be able to show them the 
Father in all His willingness to save them from the 
shame and condemnation under which they are groan- 
ing, by pardoning their offenses ; from the bondage into 
which they have sold themselves, by releasing them from 
the spell, the enchantment, into which sin has charmed 
and bound them; from their errors by imbuing them 
with the spirit of truth, and instructing them in the 
principles of my government, of which they are utterly 
ignorant; and from their misery, by the unspeakable 
joy that must come to every soul that realizes deliver- 
ance from a peril, a danger, a ruin, a destruction, from 
which it was utterly unable to extricate itself." Such 
is the language by which our human minds may under- 
stand the real attitude of the divine mind toward His 



THE CHRISTIAN ERA 223 

deluded, wandering, lost, unhappy children. "For God 
so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, 
that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but 
have eternal life." 



CHAPTER XVI 



THE SON OF GOD — THE SON OF MAN 



THE fullness of time was reached. The world 
was ripe for the crowning exhibition of Infinite 
Wisdom and Fatherly Love. God had deter- 
mined to conquer the great rebellion by the omnipotence 
of moral influences instead of dynamic forces. This 
extraordinary purpose required extraordinary means 
for its accomplishment. The great necessity was that 
men should understand God, from whom they had 
become so alienated that even to the Jew He was more 
an object of terror than of love. They remembered the 
thunders of Sinai, and the terrible judgments with 
which He had visited them from time to time, but for- 
got His long-suffering and oft-repeated promises of 
mercy and divine favor. They knew Him as THE 
MOST HIGH; were acquainted with Him as GOD 
ALMIGHTY; by the "hearing of the ear" they had 
learned that His "memorial name" was JEHOVAH, 
but such was their awe for that name that they dared 
not pronounce it. 

Their alienation from Him was such that had He 
appeared among them they would have fled from Him 
like wild beasts. Moreover such an appearance to 
human vision was impossible, because of their inability 
to endure it. If the sun, one of the lowest grade of 



226 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

the works of His hand, possessing no part of His glori- 
ous substance and nature, is such a fountain of light 
that it will destroy the sight of the eye that gazes upon 
it from a distance of ninety-five millions of miles, how 
impossible it must be for the human eye to look upon 
the face of Him who is "all glorious" — the central light 
of the entire universe! If Moses, after he had an 
interview with God, was obliged to veil his face because 
it was so bright with divine light that they could not 
look upon it, how easy it is to understand that it was 
necessary to veil the divine glory of God's Son, which 
was the same as His own, in order to make it possible 
to hold with sinful men that face to face and heart to 
heart diplomacy that was necessary, in order to reveal 
to them the true attitude of the Father, His desire and 
purpose to win them back to the filial love and loyal 
obedience that belonged to Him; and what was neces- 
sary to be done on their part that His purpose might 
be accomplished. How He effected this veiling of the 
divine glory in His Son, for this purpose, is a matter of 
supreme interest to us ; let us give it a little study. 

From the morn of creation, God has prefigured in 
every form of life He has created the method He would 
employ to effect this consummation of all His creative 
works. It was so ordained, in the creation itself, that 
every form of life — vegetable, animal, and spiritual — 
should be propagated through two agencies — the male 
and the female. In the cooperation of these two 
agencies, each has its own peculiar functions. The 
vital principle — the life-germ — is furnished by the 
male; its embodiment is effected through the female. 
This law is without exception. Every person who is 
acquainted with the laws of reproduction, whether vege- 



SON OF GOD— SON OF MAN 227 

table or animal, will understand the physiology of this 
fact. So much we learn from the laws of nature. 

Add to this the extraordinary prophecy of Isaiah 7 :14, 
a The Lord himself shall give you a sign : behold, a vir- 
gin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his 
name Immanuel." This not unnatural but supernat- 
ural event, impossible except through divine agency, 
would be a sign to the people that would render impo- 
sition impossible. The deliverer of Israel, who would 
be the deliverer of all who would consent to be delivered 
from sin, would come into the world in such a manner 
that there could be no reasonable doubt concerning the 
divinity of His mission, or of His nature. 

Did God fulfil His promise? Eead Matthew 1 : 18-21, 
"Now the birth of Jesus was on this wise: When his 
mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they 
came together she was found with child of the Holy 
Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous 
man, and not willing to make her a public example, was 
minded to put her away privily. But when he thought 
on these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared 
unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, 
fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that 
which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And 
she shall bring forth a son ; and thou shalt call his name 
Jesus ; for it is he that shall save his people from their 
sins." 

This is Joseph's story. Without doubt Matthew and 
all the Twelve had talked with him about it. It must 
have been a matter of great interest to them all; a 
question on which they would never rest until they were 
well satisfied. Their faith in Jesus and in His mission 
depended as much on the evidence they had of the truth 



228 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

of this story as it did on His miracles and doctrine. 
They could not have followed Him as they did until they 
were fully convinced of its truth. The claim itself, by 
Him or for Him, would have driven them from Him as 
a fake, an impostor, unworthy of any confidence, unless 
and until their last doubt was silenced. This should 
be evidence enough to satisfy us. Those men were not 
simpletons to be deceived by such an unlikely fiction. 
They were better able to judge of the truthfulness, the 
credibility of Joseph and Mary on this matter than we 
are, for they knew them personally. 

But Luke, who was not one of the Twelve, in his 
determination to "trace the course of all things accu- 
rately from the first," acquainted himself with the story 
as told by Mary herself. We find it recorded Luke 
1 : 26-35, "The angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a 
city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to 
a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David ; 
and the virgin's name was Mary. And he came in 
unto her and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, 
the Lord is with thee. But she was greatly troubled 
at the saying, and cast in her mind what manner of 
salutation this might be. And the angel said unto her, 
Fear not, Mary; for thou hast found favor with God. 
And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring 
forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall 
be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High : 
and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his 
father David: and he shall reign over the house of 
Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no 
end. And Mary said unto the angel, How shall this 
be, seeing I know not a man ? And the angel answered 
and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon 



SON OF GOD— SON OF MAN 229 

thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow 
thee: wherefore also the holy thing which is begotten 
shall be called the Son of God." 

Did Jesus have a father ? He surely did. No man 
was ever born without a father. Was Joseph His 
father? If he was, both he and Mary were the most 
unconscionable liars and deceivers the world has ever 
known. Their ability must also have been superhu- 
man, to so completely deceive so many well-meaning 
and talented men as the first followers of Jesus mani- 
festly were. Did they deceive God also ? That would 
be the natural conclusion; for He has sanctioned and 
prospered the great enterprise of which the birth of 
Jesus was the initiatory step, as no other enterprise 
on earth was ever favored by divine Providence. If 
this was a deception, He must have been deceived. Yes, 
Jesus had a father, and that Father was the self- 
existent and infinite Jehovah. It was He, who by His 
own divine power, and in His own divine way, fathered 
the child Jesus, whom He, moved by infinite Love, sent 
into this world "that whosoever believeth on him should 
not perish, but have eternal life." It is perfectly safe 
to say that no extraordinary event has ever occurred 
in the history of the human race that is so well authen- 
ticated as this. 

Many other arguments might be advanced in support 
of the divine fatherhood of God's "only begotten Son," 
but the above is sufficient for me; nevertheless, it may 
not be amiss to add the following : 

1. This story of Joseph and Mary was certainly 
believed by the apostles, and by all the early Christians. 
Luke's testimony on this point is very positive and 
satisfactory. Luke 1 : 1-4, "Forasmuch as many have 



230 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

taken in hand to draw up a narrative concerning those 
matters which have been fulfilled among us, even 
as they delivered them unto us, who from the begin- 
ning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, 
it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of 
all things accurately from the first, to write unto thee in 
order, most excellent Theophilus; that thou mightest 
know the certainty concerning the things wherein thou 
wast instructed." 

Where will you find, in any accredited history, a more 
clear, unequivocal, positive statement of the reliability 
of the events narrated than that? When has any 
author claimed to have taken more pains to assure 
himself of the reliability of the facts he narrated? If 
we may not receive, without further questioning, the 
statements found in this Gospel, what reliance can be 
placed on any history of any time, or of any kind ? 

2. The story itself is perfectly consistent with the 
prophecy. This very event was specifically foretold, 
"A virgin shall conceive and bear a son." It was an 
important event in the divine plan of saving the world 
from sin. It was necessary that it should be so extraor- 
dinary, so impossible in the nature of human affairs, 
that it could not be counterfeited, and the world be 
imposed upon by any device, sorcery, magic art, or 
deception of any kind. No agency in the universe 
could fulfill that prophecy, or even imitate it, but the 
Father Himself. 

3. It was for that reason an unmistakable "sign" to 
all Israel, and to all the world, of the genuineness of 
the character who should be entrusted with the mission 
on which Jesus came ; that all doubt, quibble, and ques- 
tion should be anticipated, forestalled, estopped forever. 



SON OF GOD— SON OF MAN 231 

"The Lord Himself shall give you a sign." No other 
agency in the universe could do it. 

4. It is perfectly consistent with itself. The unity 
and harmony of the whole narrative is complete. 
Extraordinary as it is, no circumstance related in it or 
connected with it is inconsistent with any other, or the 
whole. This is one of the most reliable evidences of 
truth. 

5. To deny that Jesus was virgin-born is to deny 
that Isaiah's prophecy has ever been fulfilled. I think 
I risk nothing in saying that the claim of its fulfillment 
has never been made by any other mother in the world's 
history. Is that prophecy never to be fulfilled? or is 
its fulfillment yet in the future? Is it not just as 
reasonable to believe it has been fulfilled, as to believe 
it will be fulfilled at some time in the future? 

6. The hypothesis that the disciples concocted this 
story after Jesus left the earth, and ascended to His 
Father, is ruled out by every rule of evidence that is 
ever applied to testimony in any court of justice. There 
is not a point on which their reliability as sincere, com- 
petent, truthful witnesses of what they had been told 
by Joseph and Mary can be impeached or weakened in 
any degree. They were honest, intelligent men. 

7. Consider for a moment what must be the result, 
if the wonderful, scholarly ( ?) critics of the present day 
should succeed in their insane attempts to undermine 
the faith of the world in the genuineness of this remark- 
able and divine transaction. 

a. Confidence in prophecy, in Isaiah as a prophet of 
God, and in God Himself as being able to predict 
future events, or to bring them to pass after He had 
predicted them, would be utterly destroyed ; and Jesus, 



232 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

on whom all our hopes of heaven depend, would be 
branded as the greatest impostor the world has ever 
known. 

b. If these plain, positive statements of Matthew 
and Luke, supported by the universal faith of the apos- 
tles and the early church, that have defied all criticism 
for nineteen hundred years, must be branded as delu- 
sions, and our Savior as an impostor, then farewell to 
the whole system of the Christian religion. No system 
of religion can stand upon an unsound foundation. If 
these first statements of Luke, first in order in his 
Gospel, and first in importance, after "having traced 
the course of all things accurately from the first," and 
acquainted himself with "those matters which have 
been fulfilled among us;" if historic facts, so care- 
fully, diligently, and conscientiously collected, so 
positively and unequivocally stated, and confirmed by 
such a life, such teaching, such an exhibition of divine 
wisdom and power; the whole "approved of God by 
mighty works and wonders and signs, which God did by 
him," culminating in His resurrection and escape from 
the sealed and guarded sepulcher, and His final ascen- 
sion to heaven before the eyes of the whole company or 
His first commissioned apostles ; and the whole crowned 
by the wonderful work that has been done for humanity, 
and divinity, too, by the divine blessing upon the preach- 
ing of those doctrines : if such historic statements must 
be given up as false and unreliable, tell me, ye supreme 
sophomores — wise fools — what is history? what is wis- 
dom ? what is scholarship ? what is truth ? Such schol- 
arly critics may be expected to tell us soon that two 
added to two does not make four; that the sum of all 
the parts is not equal to the whole; and as the last 



SON OF GOD— SON OF MAN 233 

pull upon our credulity, assure us that scholars have at 
length decided that the moon is made of green Ham- 
burger cheese. 

In Chapter IV we found that the pre-existent Son 
was entirely of the substance of the Father, hence 
essentially and wholly divine. In the foregoing argu- 
ment we have shown that Jesus, our Savior, was both 
the Son of God and the son of Mary. The life-principle, 
the soul, the Ego, the personality, was of the substance 
of His Father who begat Him; and His body, through 
which He made His communications with men, in which 
His glorious divinity was veiled, was furnished Him by 
His mother Mary. "A body didst thou prepare for 
me." He was truly and literally a God-man. 



CHAPTER XVII 



Christ's mission 



IN the light of this entire discussion — the true Fa- 
ther-Sovereignty of God, the true nature of His 
government, the great rebellion, the Father's loving 
attitude toward His offending children, and His de- 
termination to win them back to a filial, loyal service; 
supplemented by the signs, teachings, suffering, and 
death of the Son Himself, we shall not find it difficult 
to ascertain confidently the exact nature of the end the 
Father had in mind when He sent "His only begotten 
Son," veiled in a human form, into this fallen world. 

It matters not how difficult a problem may be when 
studied from a wrong view-point ; everything connected 
with the works and ways of God is plain and easily 
comprehended when we can find His reason for its 
existence. Superficial observations are never reliable; 
and when we possess only such observations, we usually 
construct erroneous theories. The first theories of the 
movements of the heavenly bodies were erroneous for 
this reason. So also the first theories of the creation ; 
the first theory of the formation of the earth ; the first 
theory of the meaning and object of a human life; the 
first forms of human government ; were all false. This 
is God's method of education. Human faculties and 
energies, existing only in embryo in the infant, are 



236 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

developed only by exercise. Hence fundamental truths 
are never the first to be discovered. Koots — radical 
truths — always lie beneath the surface. You must dig 
to find them. 

Does not this universal law, verified by the entire 
history of the world, suggest with great emphasis that 
the more profound works and motives of Him, "who 
doeth great things past finding out," require deep, pro- 
found, long continued, persevering study, in order to 
understand His supreme work of salvation through the 
mediatorial agency of His Son? This whole discus- 
sion has shown that from the day our first parents lost 
the favor of God by disobedience of His first command, 
to the present time, men have misconceived the very 
nature of His personality; have misunderstood the 
nature of His government; and, upon their erroneous 
conceptions, have constructed systems of science and 
systems of theology that cannot stand the light that 
has at length dawned upon our world. Systems of 
theology and science formulated sixteen hundred years 
ago have become disintegrated and have fallen to pieces, 
because their cohesive principle was Omnipotence in- 
stead of Infinite Love. Some truths have been discov- 
ered, and are well and firmly established, just as many 
of the facts and laws that constitute the science of 
astronomy were well understood before Copernicus 
demonstrated that the primary fact of the theory on 
which all their calculations were based; namely, that 
the earth was the center around which the whole heav- 
ens revolved, was false. In like manner we believe 
that some of the doctrines that have long been called 
"orthodox," based upon the theory that the Kingdom of 
God rests for its authority and support upon His 



CHRIST'S MISSION 237 

Omnipotence, are false. This we believe we have fully 
shown in preceding chapters. We now intend to show 
that the present "orthodox" doctrine of the atonement ; 
namely, that sin (guilt) is a debt whose penalty is 
death : that this penalty must be paid either by the 
death of the sinner or by the death of a competent sub- 
stitute ; and that Christ only — the divine man — was 
competent to die for all ; and that His death so satisfies 
the demand of justice that every sinner who believes on 
Him; that is, who accepts Him as his substitute, and 
takes Him as his or her Savior, shall be saved, and have 
eternal life; formulated by Anselm, Bishop of Canter- 
bury, in the latter part of the eleventh century, and 
held at the present time, though there are many good 
and true things about it, is primarily and fundament- 
ally inconsistent with the Fatherhood of God, and 
unscriptural. 

The theory that preceded this, taught by Athanasius, 
Augustine, and others in the fourth century, based on 
the words of Jesus, Matthew 20 : 28, "The Son of man 
came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to 
give his life a ransom for many," was that Satan had 
taken the souls of men prisoner, and God ransomed 
them by the death of His Son. It is astonishing that 
this doctrine prevailed for seven hundred years, but 
the fact shows how incompetent the best thinkers of 
that period were to understand the principles and 
methods of a moral government. 

As has already been noticed, the disciples themselves 
had but a mere glimpse of the nature of that kingdom 
when the Lord left them and disappeared in the clouds 
of heaven ; and undoubtedly a still less definite idea of 
the methods by which the work committed to them 



238 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

would be accomplished. That the extraordinary events 
of the day of Pentecost opened their eyes wonderfully 
must be admitted; and that they were still more 
enlightened by subsequent revelations and influences 
cannot be doubted; but that the "fathers" who imme- 
diately succeeded the apostles, and those who lived two 
hundred years later, and formulated the basic doc- 
trines of our creeds, enjoyed any special inspiration, 
cannot be admitted for a moment. 

The word liberty, at that time, had no more meaning 
in the line of religious thought than it had in the 
administration of the Roman Empire. The new relig- 
ion was so far beyond the general conception of the age, 
so simple in its forms of worship, so unlike the elaborate 
and ostentatious ceremonies of both Jewish and 
heathen worship, that it aroused the fiercest opposition 
of both. Paul writes to the church at Corinth, "Jews ask 
for signs and Greeks seek after wisdom : but we preach 
Christ crucified ; unto Jews a stumblingblock, and unto 
Greeks foolishness." The fact that ten of the eleven 
to whom Christ gave the commission, "Go ye into all the 
world, and preach the gospel unto the whole creation," 
suffered martyrdom; and that John escaped alive from 
a caldron of boiling oil as the three Hebrew young men 
escaped from the fiery furnace, and finally died a nat- 
ural death at a good old age; these facts, I say, are 
evidence of the hostility with which the doctrines of the 
apostles were received; and after their departure mat- 
ters grew worse instead of better. Even the Jews 
that did believe were reluctant, some of them absolutely 
refusing to give up the ceremonies of the Mosaic law; 
while the Gentiles who believed brought with them into 
the church many of their heathenish notions and cus- 



CHRIST'S MISSION 239 

toms; the result of which, was a rapid deterioration of 
the Christ spirit, in which the power of the gospel and 
the love of truth pre-eminently resided. 

The winning spirit of the gospel was soon supplanted 
by the spirit of tyrannous compulsion, with excommu- 
nication as the penalty of insubordination. The motto, 
"Might makes right" became practically the motto of 
the Church, as it had always been of the state. Not a 
man living had the least idea of the methods of a moral 
government. 

In addition to this state of things morally, the uncodi- 
fied condition of the writings now known as the New 
Testament, and the lack of lingual scholarship, as com- 
pared with that of linquists of the present day, should 
have their full weight in estimating the incompetency 
of the men of that period to determine authoritatively 
what sinners must believe as indispensable conditions 
of their salvation, respecting the most profound and 
deeply spiritual doctrines ever revealed to finite minds, 
and just made known by the most wonderful Teacher, 
in figures of speech the most extraordinary and occult 
ever employed by man. 

Taking these circumstances into consideration, can 
scholarly Christian thinkers of the twentieth century 
consent that men living in an age characterized by such 
a state of society, such comparative ignorance, such a 
spirit of intolerance and tyranny, were divinely selected 
to formulate the Christian doctrines that "whosoever 
would be saved must believe?" Was that the "golden 
age" of divine inspiration, in which the love of truth 
and righteousness was so pronounced, such an absorb- 
ing, overmastering power, that it was divinely "fore- 
ordained" as the most favorable in all time for the con- 



240 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

struction of systems of theological doctrines that should 
stand unshaken and impregnable forever? Was that 
the time when the promise of the Great Teacher "Ye 
shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free," 
was so completely fulfilled that it has had no prac- 
tical meaning since? Surely, these are conclusions to 
which many, even at the present day, seem to have come, 
if the doctrines taught in most of our theological semi- 
naries are to be taken as evidence. Such seminaries 
are simply aviaries, where parrot students are taught 
to repeat after parrot teachers the doctrines that were 
formulated by tyrannical bigots more than a thousand 
years ago. "I am not mad, most excellent Festus, but 
speak forth words of truth and soberness." 

Moreover, our contention goes still further; namely, 
that it was never the intention, nor the pleasure, of 
either the Father or the Son, that any age should 
formulate an authoritative creed for its successors. 
This is a world of progress. While there are funda- 
mental principles that never change, and that constitute 
the foundation of real progress, as the human mind 
expands, and the horizon of human vision is enlarged, 
new facts will be discovered, new bearings of funda- 
mental principles brought to light, and new methods of 
procedure devised; all tending to the development of 
the human soul in its gradual approach to the perfec- 
tion of the divine nature. Truths that have been dis- 
covered may never be ignored; nor should errors that 
have been discovered ever be clung to and insisted upon. 
When the spirit of truth is come, it will lead into all 
truth. God has so ordained, however, that truth, when 
first discovered and advanced, should win its victories 
by a fair fight of reason, and find a firm footing only by 



CHRIST'S MISSION 241 

clearing away the rubbish that error always leaves 
lying around in the way of progress. Jesus says, "Dig 
deep, and lay the foundation upon a rock." 

The question now arises, Where shall we find the 
rock? My answer is, God has revealed fundamental 
physical law in the material universe; fundamental 
moral law in human relations ; and fundamental spirit- 
ual law, the law that pertains especially to our relations 
with Him as our Father, our God, our Savior, in His 
Word. This brings to the front the important ques- 
tion, What is the Word of God? Is it anything that 
may be imagined when we read what is called "The 
Holy Scriptures ?" Is the irreverent saying true, "The 
Bible is like a fiddle, on which you may play any tune 
you like?" By no means. To me the Bible is only 
what God intended to teach the world when He com- 
missioned and inspired "holy men of old" to write it. 
If mistakes have been made in transcribing, translating, 
or interpreting the Word, as originally given and re- 
corded, they constitute no part of the word of God. I 
owe them neither reverence, honor, nor respect. They 
may be "time honored," but that is not a sufficient 
reason for believing them. It is my privilege, my duty, 
and my purpose, to detect them, expose them, and 
correct them, so far as it is in my power to do it. Inter- 
polations and errors in transcribing, I think, have 
been mostly detected and eliminated; but there are in 
our English Bible many errors of translation; and in 
our creeds many more of interpretation, that need 
careful but relentless treatment. The nineteenth chap- 
ter will be devoted to an effort to correct some of these 
errors, particularly those that relate to the mission of 
our Savior to this world. 



242 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

This extended preliminary discussion seemed neces- 
sary, because the prevailing theory of Christ's mission 
to this world, a theory that we conceive to be utterly 
inconsistent with the nature of God's government, the 
circumstances that made His advent into this world at 
such a time and in such a manner necessary, and the 
end to be attained, had its origin at the time and under 
the circumstances here described. 



CHAPTER XVIII 



Christ's mission — continued 



WE come now to the study of the crowning event 
in all God's works. Infinite Love had made a 
wonderful exhibition of itself in the creation 
of a wonderful home for the human members of His 
family, during their childhood, growth, and develop- 
ment ; but the means adopted for their redemption from 
the guilt, misery, alienation, they had brought upon 
themselves by disobedience and rebellion was an exhibi- 
tion of Infinite Love in infinite measure — the loftiest 
reach of infinity itself. No one, therefore, should be 
surprised that the most extraordinary means were 
required. Directly at this point human minds have 
stumbled. Men have refused to believe God's own 
statements respecting this matter, because those state- 
ments do not correspond with some human methods. 

The nature of the problem is purely governmental. 
The enactment of law is a function of government. 
The transgression of law — sin — is the act of one who 
owes obedience to a government and does not render it. 
The administration of law is also a function of govern- 
ment. Both punishment and pardon are functions of 
government. Justice, which is rendering to each sub- 
ject strictly according to deserts; and Mercy, which is 
setting aside the penalty of disobedience when it can be 



244 THE KINGDOM OF GOB 

done without detriment to the ends of justice, are 
attributes of government. The whole Plan of Salva- 
tion is a governmental transaction, from its inception 
to its consummation; and only from a governmental 
view-point can it be clearly understood. 

When the Son of God, who had been "with God" from 
"the beginning," was sent into this world on this most 
important of all divine undertakings, He came as a 
commissioned official of the Kingdom of God, to bear 
to this rebellious province a glad proclamation of 
amnesty to all the rebellious sons of men ; namely, that, 
if they would lay down their arms, and take sincerely 
and heartily the oath of filial love and loyal obedience 
to their Father-King, they should be pardoned, and 
restored to all the privileges, advantages, ennobling 
influences, and blessed relationships, of citizenship in 
this wonderful family government, the Kingdom of God. 

We have already noticed the method employed by the 
Father to fit the Son for this great service, by uniting 
in one personality the divine and the human natures, 
that He might be in closest touch, fellowship, and sym- 
pathy with both, competent and qualified in every 
respect to be a successful Mediator between these two 
alienated parties. What we wish now to ascertain is, 
What was necessary to be effected, in order that the 
spirit of rebellion should be subdued in each individual 
soul, and a condition of perfect peace and harmony 
produced in this beautiful and perfect family govern- 
ment. No one will dispute that this was the ultimate 
end to be attained; and the real intention and object 
in the mind of the Father in sending His Son into this 
world in the manner He did. 

Now, in view of the fact that this was a perfect gov- 



CHRIST'S MISSION 245 

ernment, that it had been perfectly administered, that 
no charge could be made of injustice either in treatment 
or requirement, of either the whole community or any 
individual, it must be evident to all that no modification 
could be required, no change of administrative policy 
could be demanded of the Father- Sovereign. The 
fault was all on the part of the rebel; and peace and 
harmony could be effected only by complete uncondi- 
tional surrender on his part. This state of affairs de- 
termines, without any doubt or equivocation, the exact 
work of the Mediator, who should effect a reconciliation 
— an atonement. His mission to this world was to 
save men from their sins ; in other words, to bring sin- 
ners to repentance. "Thou shalt call his name Jesus, 
for it is he that shall save his people from their sins." 
"God, having raised up his Servant, sent him to bless 
you, in turning away every one of you from your 
iniquities" (Acts 3 : 26) . 

This doctrine is impressively and perfectly stated by 
the apostle Paul, 2 Corinthians 5 : 20, "We are ambassa- 
dors therefore on behalf of Christ, as though God 
were entreating by us; we beseech you on behalf of 
Christ, be ye reconciled to God." The first thing to be 
noticed in this passage is that Christ is God's ambassa- 
dor, and that we are ambassadors on His behalf — in 
His place and by His appointment. The work that 
He came to do He has committed to His followers, of 
whom Paul was one. Secondly, we notice that both 
Christ and His followers are acting in the place and 
name of God Himself — "as though God were entreating 
by us." Who were being entreated must be evident to 
all; also who is the ultimate entreater. Thirdly, the 
object of the entreating is that they, the Corinthians 



246 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

— all mankind — may be reconciled to God. This is 
precisely our doctrine — consistent, reasonable, scrip- 
tural. 

The exact relation, and governmental position of 
Jesus, in this great transaction, is impressively sym- 
bolized in one of the arrangements in the temple service, 
manifestly for this very purpose. In the inner temple, 
"the Holy of Holies," was placed, for safe keeping 
because of its holy preciousness, a box about four feet 
long, and two and a half feet in width and height, made 
of a species of acasia wood, plated with gold within and 
without, with a crown or rim of solid gold around the 
top. In this "ark" was deposited a copy of the Law 
given by God personally to Moses ; Aaron's rod ; and a 
pot of the manna on which God fed the people during 
their forty years' journey through the wilderness. 

This exquisitely wrought and precious box was called 
"the ark of the covenant." Its cover was a plate of 
solid gold, on either end of which stood a cherub. This 
golden cover was called "the Mercy-Seat." The cher- 
ubim faced each other, and extended their wings for- 
ward, meeting above the center of the ark. The space 
included by the cover of the ark beneath, the images on 
the two ends, and the united wings above, was, on cer- 
tain occasions, filled with a cloud, which was the visible 
sign of God's personal presence. From this most holy 
place God "talked with Moses," and it was in this pres- 
ence that Aaron, the High Priest, made atonement once 
a year for the sins of the people. It was God's appointed 
place of meeting with His people. Exodus 25 : 22, 
"There I will meet with thee, and I will commune with 
thee from above the mercy-seat of all things 



CHRIST'S MISSION 247 

which I will give thee in commandment unto the 
children of Israel." 

Herein lies its significance. The Greek word used 
in the Septuagint, as the equivalent of the Hebrew 
kapporeth — mercy-seat — is hilasterion. This is the 
word also used in Hebrews 9 : 5, where reference is made 
to "the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy- 
seat." The only other place where this word hilaste- 
rion is found in the New Testament is Romans 3 : 25. 
I quote the twenty-fourth verse also, that we may get 
the connection. "Being justified freely by his grace 
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom 
God set forth to be a propitiation, through faith, in his 
blood, to show his righteousness because of the passing 
over of the sins done aforetime." As the mercy-seat, 
in the most holy place in the temple, was the place 
where God met His ancient people, for the purpose 
of receiving their penitential sacrifices, to make 
atonement — reconciliation — for their sins, so in 
Christ, in whom the divine and the human natures 
meet, we find the place where God meets His 
people in these latter days, when they bring the sacri- 
fices of "godly sorrow that worketh repentance unto 
salvation," with the prayer, "God be merciful to me 
a sinner," and a reconciliation is effected between them. 
It is then that 

"Heaven comes down our souls to meet, 
And glory crowns the mercy-seat." 

Substitute mercy-seat for propitiation in the above 
quotation, Romans 3 : 25, and you will have the exact 
idea of the official position of Jesus as the Mediator 
between God and sinful men; in whom both meet and 



248 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

become reconciled. This is the atonement. Sinful, 
rebellious men become reconciled to God, by "repent- 
ance toward God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ." 
The word propitiation is thoroughly misleading. 
Heathen propitiate their gods ; but the Christian's God 
always had a Father's love and a Father's interest in 
His human children. No propitiatory sacrifice was 
ever necessary to conciliate His wrath and obtain His 
favor. 

One of the most fundamentally misinterpreted pas- 
sages on this subject is Matthew 20 : 28 and Mark 10 : 
45 ; the words of Jesus Himself. "The Son of man came 
not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give 
his life a ransom for many." The word ransom proved 
a stumbling-block to the early theorists on this subject, 
who had just been converted from heathenism, and were 
probably in full sympathy with the custom of holding 
prisoners in war as bondslaves, to be set at liberty only 
by the payment of a sum of money that was the price 
of their ransom. Supposing this to be Christ's mean- 
ing, the earliest writers on this question — the very men 
who have been called the church fathers, and fathers of 
orthodoxy, taught that the sinner was held captive by 
Satan, and that the sufferings and death of Christ were 
the consideration paid to Satan for the sinner's release. 
This doctrine was "orthodox" from the time of Athana- 
sius and St. Augustine, the fourth century, until An- 
selm, the eleventh century — seven hundred years. This 
shows how unqualified the first converts from heathen- 
ism were to interpret the love of God, who sent His 
only begotten Son into the world to "draw all men unto 
Himself." 

During this period, notwithstanding this fundamen- 



CHRIST'S MISSION 249 

tal error, Christianity, such as it was, made great 
progress because the world knew no better; and God 
has always worked through men as their intelligence 
fitted them for His use, constantly leading them upward 
to more perfect manhood, and a better acquaintance 
with Himself and His divine methods, notwithstanding 
their ignorance of many important facts. He does the 
same to-day. 

The advancing intelligence of the world finally dis- 
covered the inconsistency of this theory; and Anselm, 
Bishop of Canterbury, in the twelfth century, formu- 
lated the theory that is substantially the theory still 
held by the great majority of Christendom. Concern- 
ing the doctrine as taught by Anselm, I find the follow- 
ing in the Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious 
Knowledge, page 1651. Anselm "taught that sin is 
debt (guilt) ; that, under the government of God, it is 
absolutely necessary that this debt should be paid ; that 
is, that the penalty incurred by the guilt of sin should 
be suffered : that this necessity has its grounds in the 
infinite perfections of the divine nature; that the pen- 
alty must be inflicted upon the sinner in person, unless 
a substitute can be found having all legal qualifications 
for his office ; this was alone realized in Jesus Christ, a 
divine person embracing human nature ; who, when we 
were enemies, merited justification for us by His most 
sacred passion on the tree, and satisfied God the Father 
for us." To this the author adds, "This has been 
adopted in all the creeds of the entire Church." This 
is called "the satisfaction theory" of the atonement. 

That Anselm himself recognized the inconsistency of 
such a transaction with any conceivable idea of justice, 
even in the despotic forms of government with which he 



250 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

was acquainted, is evident from the phrase, "under the 
government of God;" and he justifies it in God's gov- 
ernment on the ground that "the infinite perfections of 
the divine nature" might render necessary an act that 
would be condemned in any human government. A 
strange idea truly! that the absolute Sovereignty of 
God, though guided by Infinite Wisdom and Love, could 
make just an act that would be supremely repulsive to 
every sense of justice conceivable by man. The doc- 
trine of predestination, that had its origin in the same 
age, and was held and taught as "orthodox" until with- 
in the last half century — sixteen hundred years, is 
another example of the same kind: and another evi- 
dence of the unfitness of the very best men that age pro- 
duced to formulate a System of Theology, that should 
be received and insisted upon as "orthodox" to the end 
of time. 

Now let us return to the passage quoted, "To give his 
life a ransom for many." If this language is to be 
understood literally, the explanation first given is the 
most natural and obvious. Satan certainly holds every 
sinner in captivity. There is no other bondage equal 
to the bondage of sin. See Romans 7:14-24. If 
Satan's claim is to be allowed at all, a ransom, and just 
such a ransom as he chooses to demand, must be paid. 
His demand was that the Son of God should suffer and 
die. God complied with his demand, and sent His Son 
into the world for that purpose. 

This theory we reject, on the ground that the right 
of Satan to hold the sinner in bondage cannot be 
allowed. He deceived, deluded, cajoled, and kidnapped 
the sinner, and holds him in chains of insufferable 
cruelty. No government pays a ransom for the deliv- 



CHRIST'S MISSION 251 

erance of a captive subject unless it is unable to deliver 
him by conquest. God says, Isaiah 52 : 3, "Ye have 
sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed 
without money." He redeems His captive subjects by 
conquest, not by purchase — the conquest of love, not of 
dynamic force. The word ransom, then, is not used 
in this passage in the sense of "the consideration paid 
for the release of the sinner.'' It is used to express 
the fact of his deliverance, not the means by which it 
is effected. 

The sinner is a moral agent. His captivity to Satan 
is voluntary. Neither can he be ransomed without his 
consent and cooperation. Neither the love nor the 
omnipotence of God ; neither the agonies of Gethsemane 
nor the blood drawn from the heart of Jesus by the 
soldier's spear, can effect the sinner's ransom against 
his will. When he is willing to be ransomed, Christ 
is ready to break the chains in which Satan has bound 
him and set him free ; and not till then. 

Christ gave His self-denying life, His teaching, His 
wonderful works, His suffering, His death, to "show 
us the Father," and thereby remove the delusions where- 
with Satan has deceived and deranged the human judg- 
ment ; to heal the alienation of the hearts of men from 
their God, as declared by Isaiah 59 : 2, "Your iniquities 
have separated between you and your God, and your 
sins have hid his face from you ;" to make alive those who 
are "dead in trespasses and in sins ;" to beget in hard 
and stony hearts "godly sorrow that worketh repent- 
ance unto salvation;" to break the shameful, galling 
chains of sinful habits in which Satan leads men to 
bind their own souls; to deliver them "from the bond- 
age of corruption into the glorious liberty of the chil- 



252 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

dren of God;" and, to crown the whole, to "beget us 
again unto a living hope, by the resurrection of Jesus 
Christ from the dead, unto an inheritance incorruptible, 
undefiled, and that fadeth not away." Thus it is plain, 
that the whole mission of the Son of God to this world 
was "to bless you in turning every one of you from your 
iniquities." When this is accomplished, the atonement 
will be complete. Jesus said, "I, if I be lifted up from 
the earth, will draw all men unto myself ;" and all who 
are thus drawn to Him will be ransomed from the 
bondage of sin, and enjoy a the glorious liberty of the 
children of God." 

One word more respecting Anselm's idea that guilt is 
a debt. Guilt is a a state of moral pollution resulting 
from wrong-doing," and has no resemblance whatever 
to a debt. It is entirely a personal matter between the 
person committing the wrong and the party to whom 
the right was due. No person can answer for that 
moral wrong but the person committing it. Repent- 
ance for and confession of the wrong is the only condi- 
tion of forgiveness ; and no one can do this for the guilty 
party. All that a third party can do in the case is to 
influence the guilty party to repent and confess. When 
this cannot be done, punishment is inevitable, which 
must be inflicted upon the guilty party only. To inflict 
it upon another, even with the consent of both the 
substitute and the guilty one, would be a flagrant and 
outrageous wrong. In commercial transactions, one 
may discharge the obligation of another ; but this is no 
commercial transaction. 

Moreover, let me say right here, God is just as will- 
ing to forgive a penitent sinner who never heard of 
Christ, as one who has been won to repentance by 



CHRIST'S MISSION 253 

Christ's suffering and death. The prodigal who 
"comes to himself" and returns to his Father will be 
received and pardoned just as readily and cheerfully as 
one whose hard and rebellious heart has been broken 
and made penitent by the amazing love of the Father 
and the Son, as revealed in the life, teachings, suffering, 
and death of our Savior. 

Let me add here another thought, that should have 
weight in this connection. Suppose the Jews had 
received Christ, and recognized in Him their promised 
deliverer; had apprehended the spiritual nature of the 
kingdom He was sent to set up ; had fallen in and 
cooperated with His plan of redeeming the world ; thus 
becoming the first apostolic evangelists, to proclaim the 
gospel of reconciliation to the world ; what would have 
been the result? Of course, the tragedy of the cross 
would not have occurred. Would the salvation of the 
world, or of any individual, have been impossible for 
that reason? Assuredly not. No one can believe 
that. But, if salvation would have been possible in 
that case, the doctrine that an atoning sacrifice was 
necessary in order that God "might be just, and the 
justifier of him that hath faith in Jesus" falls to the 
ground; as it certainly should. That which made 
Christ's death necessary was the impossibility, without 
it, of persuading men to repent; not the impossibility 
of pardon, on the part of the government, without a 
propitiatory sacrifice. 



CHAPTER XIX 



ERRORS CORRECTED 



THIS chapter will be devoted chiefly to the cor- 
rection of errors in the translation of certain 
passages that relate to the doctrine of the 
Atonement. That there should be errors of this kind 
need surprise no one. The translation that has been 
in use by English readers since 1611 was made at a 
time and under circumstances very unfavorable to an 
impartial and truthful rendering of the original on this 
point. The doctrine of the arbitrary Sovereignty of 
God was the basis of everything. The idea of Moral 
Agency and a Moral Government had never entered 
definitely and philosophically into the human mind. 
Arbitrary Sovereignty in God was not so bad in itself, 
since they held practically as well as theoretically that 
He was guided in all things by Infinite Wisdom and 
Love. The greatest of all the errors ever held by any peo- 
ple is that His Infinite Wisdom could make that reason- 
able and just in God that is shocking to the reason and 
sense of right in us : and that that might be truth to 
Him that is impossible according to laws He has made 
for our observance and use. Be it remembered that all 
God's laws, in whatever realm of divine sovereignty 
they may be found, are parallel. They never conflict 
or cross one another. God is no respecter of persons, 



256 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

His own person included. That which would be wrong 
for you and me would be wrong for Him. He never 
has said, The King can do no wrong. Under the 
above erroneous hypotheses, decrees of Councils were 
standards of truth, however unreasonable and tyran- 
nical they might be : and the victorious party had no 
tolerance for the defeated. Hence the persecution and 
martyrdom that followed. 

At the time of King James' translation, 1611, such 
was the harmony of all Christendom on the doctrine of 
the vicarious substitution theory of the atonement, and 
such the bigotry and spirit of persecution that, to have 
translated these passages otherwise than they did, had 
they been so disposed, would have subjected the trans- 
lators to persecution, if nothing worse ; and would prob- 
ably have caused the translation to be rejected. Such 
bigotry and intolerance as prevailed at that time could 
not be restrained by either rules of grammar or dictates 
of reason. Hence those translators were self excus- 
able for rendering these passages as they did; but the 
late American revisers cannot be excused on that 
ground. Our intention is to find, if possible, the exact 
idea the author intended to put into each passage cited, 
and express it regardless of consequences. We shall 
notice, 

1. Passages in which the meaning of the preposition 
for is misunderstood. Romans 5 : 6, 8, "While we were 
yet weak, in due season Christ died for the ungodly. 
.... God commendeth his love toward us, in that, 
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Gala- 
tians 3 : 13, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the 
law, having become a curse for us." 1 Thessalonians 
5 : 10, "God appointed us not unto wrath, but unto the 



ERRORS CORRECTED 257 

obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 
who died for us." In these passages the word for is 
usually understood to mean instead of: that His death 
was intended as a substitute for the death due the sin- 
ner as the consequence of his sin ; and that we are per- 
mitted to live, and enjoy eternal life, because He died 
for us ; that is, in our stead. Now the truth is, the 
word for in these passages means no such thing. The 
Greek preposition huper, here rendered for, when fol- 
lowed by a genitive case, as in all these passages, never 
means instead of. The following passages, where its 
meaning is unmistakable, are samples of its uniform 
usage. Matthew 5 : 44, "Pray for them that persecute 
you ;" Mark 9 : 40, "He that is not against us is for us." 
John 11 : 4, "This sickness is not unto death, but for 
the glory of God." Acts 8 : 24, "Simon said, Pray for 
me." Romans 1 : 8, "I thank my God for you." James 
5 : 16, "Pray one for another." 1 Peter 3 : 18, "Christ 
suffered for sins once, that he might bring us to God." 
These are samples from every writer in the New Testa- 
ment; and represent fairly the meaning of huper with 
the genitive as they understood its usage. In these 
writings huper with the genitive is found one hundred 
and thirty-seven times, and not once, as I claim, mean- 
ing instead of. In the passages claimed to have this 
meaning, the true idea plainly is, He died, suffered, 
etc., in our behalf, for our sake, to influence us; not to 
appease the wrath, or propitiate the favor, of His Fa- 
ther. It is well expressed in Galatians 3 : 4, "Who 
gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us out 
of this present evil world." 

2. We will consider passages in which we claim the 
translation is faulty. 1 John 2 : 1, "If any man sin, 



258 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the 
righteous." This language implies that the sinner 
needs an attorney, an advocate, in order to obtain a 
favorable hearing with the Father, which would conflict 
directly with the oft-repeated declaration that it was 
God's love for the sinner, and anxiety to save him, that 
moved Him to send His Son "to save his people from 
their sins." We apprehend that the translators, in 
their zeal in the defense of a disputed doctrine, quite 
mistook the idea John intended to convey when he wrote 
that verse. 

The word rendered advocate is parakletos. In 
John 14 : 16, 26 ; 15 : 26, and 16 : 7, it is rendered Com- 
forter. The primary meaning of the verb parakaleo, 
that expresses the action of which the noun parakletos 
is the actor, is to call for assistance; and parakletos is 
the one who assists or helps. Its radical, comprehen- 
sive meaning, therefore, is a helper. If one needs a 
comforter, parakletos is a comforter; if he needs an 
advocate to plead his case before a judge, parakletos 
may be his advocate; and if he needs help in some other 
way, his parakletos would be translated by some other 
word. How then shall we determine its meaning in 
this passage? What is the help the sinner most needs 
that he may be saved ? that is, that he may be won from 
his alienation from his Father, brought to repentance, 
and reconciled to God? 

In looking farther into the usage of the verb para- 
kaleo, I find it is translated beseech thirty-six times, 
comfort nineteen times, exhort sixteen times, and en- 
treat twice. In every one of these instances the idea 
of helpfulness is prominent. One instance is especially 
significant. In 2 Corinthians 5 : 20 we read, "as 



ERRORS CORRECTED 259 

though God were entreating by us," and this in direct 
connection with "be ye reconciled to God." Surely 
God, who entreats us to be reconciled to Him, does not 
need to be persuaded to be merciful to us. 

Another word on which the meaning of this passage 
depends is the preposition pros. The Greek parakletos 
pros ton patera, is rendered advocate with the 
Father. Now, it so happens that pros, in such a con- 
nection, never has such a meaning. In every case 
where there is the idea of motion toward a person or 
thing, or a favorable change of mind toward a person, 
the proper rendering of pros is to, unto, or towurd. 
After the verb to be, or verbs that signify rest, abiding, 
peace, etc., where there is no idea of motion or inclina- 
tion toward, it is rendered with. A perfect illustra- 
tion of this is found in John 1 : 1, "the word was with 
God" — pros ton theon. The case we are examining is 
a very different one. The sinner is to be brought to 
God; a change of attitude to which he is in no way 
inclined. He needs a helper, and Jesus Christ the 
righteous came into this world for that very purpose. 
"I will draw all men unto myself." That is just what 
John intended to say, "If any man sin, we have a helper 
to the Father." 

But an objector may say, John adds immediately, 
"And he is the propitiation for our sins." Very true. 
We will look at that also. This is another error in 
translation; purely grammatical, and inexcusable: the 
result of a determination to compel the Scriptures to 
sanction "the doctrines of men;" doctrines that were 
conceived by bigoted "fathers," and confirmed by the 
unhallowed decrees of Councils, more than twelve hun- 
dred years before. 



260 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

This rendering is incorrect in the following particu- 
lars : — (1) The article t he is not found in the original ; 
and a true rendering does not admit of its use. (2) 
The word rendered propitiation is hilasmos. As an 
act of heathen worship, a sacrifice offered with their 
understanding of it, this word means propitiation; but 
when representing a person, as in this case, it means 
propitiator. In Robinson's New Testament Greek and 
English Lexicon, this place is given as an example of 
this usage. (3) The preposition peri, for, standing 
before and governing our sins, means on account of. 

Having already shown that Jesus' life was not sacri- 
ficed to propitiate the favor of God after the manner of 
heathen sacrifices, we are now prepared to express in 
our rendering of this passage the idea we believe John 
intended to express when he wrote it. "If any man sin, 
we have a helper to the Father, Jesus Christ the right- 
eous; and he is a propitiator on account of our sins." 

The question will now arise, What did Jesus do as 
propitiator? Of course this must be determined by 
the circumstances. He did just what was required to 
be done, in order to bring a rebel sinner into filial, loyal 
relations with the Father-King, and into harmony with 
His government. The conditions of such a reconcilia- 
tion are and ever must be met by the sinner himself. 
He is a moral agent. No change can be wrought in 
his attitude toward his Father and King without his 
consent and cooperation. He must lay down the arms 
of his rebellion, whatever they may be, in token of his 
complete surrender to the conquering power of God's 
love; and take the oath of allegiance to His govern- 
ment by publicly identifying himself with other pro- 
fessed loyal citizens and with the interests of His king- 



ERRORS CORRECTED 261 

dom. Ignorance of the nature of the great spiritual 
Being against whom men have sinned, delusion and mis- 
conception as to His true attitude toward them, the 
will-conquering power of sinful habits both of thought 
and action, and the selfish, unreasonable pride that 
makes every unregenerate soul unwilling to acknowl- 
edge itself wrong even when convinced of it, combine to 
make the conquering of this rebellion the most difficult 
task ever undertaken even by Infinite Love and Power. 
To instruct the intelligence, remove the delusions, 
break the enslaving chain of sinful, will-conquering 
habits, humble the proud and flinty heart and melt it 
into contrition by the omnipotence of Infinite Love as 
manifested in a human life — all this was the work 
"Jesus Christ the righteous" came to accomplish, as 
propitiator on account of our sins — the Mercy-Seat, 
where sinful but penitent human souls meet a loving 
and merciful God, and a perfect reconciliation is effect- 
ed between them; and the proclamation of this "good 
news of the kingdom" as the end of His mission, is the 
gospel. Is it not glorious? "Go ye into all the 
world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation." 

THE ATONEMENT 

Were it not that this word, saturated with the heath- 
enism of more than a thousand years ago, is the pivotal 
word of controversy at the present time, what we have 
already said about this great transaction would be 
sufficient. The natural, philological concept of the 
word at-one-ment is sufficiently plain at sight. It was 
ingeniously coined to convey to the English scholar the 
exact meaning of the Greek hatallage, for which it is 
a very good equivalent. The definition of ~kataUage, 



262 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

as given in Robinson's New Testament Greek Lexicon, 
is, "A change from enmity to friendship, reconciliation : 
especially restoration to the divine favor." The Greek 
verb Imtalasso, that expresses the act of reconciling, 
owing to a nice discrimination possessed by the Greek 
that is not found in the English on this point, brings 
out another thought, particularly important in this 
case. I quote again from Robinson's Lexicon. "In 
the New Testament, to change a person toward another 
from enmity to friendship; to reconcile to any one; 
thus differing from dialasso, which implies mutual 
change." Thus katallage expresses not a mutual 
change, but the reconciliation of one party to the other; 
confirming the doctrine as we have presented it. The 
sinner only is in fault, and the sinner only needs be 
changed. Is it not strange that even to-day ministers 
may be found who preach and insist upon it strenuously 
that God, in the atonement, is reconciled to us? The 
Word of life says, "Be ye reconciled to God." "God, 
having raised up his servant, sent him to bless you, 
in turning away every one of you from his iniquities." 

Another passage that has been misunderstood by 
both translators and exegetes, and that has an impor- 
tant bearing upon this doctrine, is Romans 8 : 26, "The 
Spirit also helpeth our infirmities ; for we know not how 
to pray as we ought : but the Spirit itself maketh inter- 
cession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." 
This is surely wrong. It attributes an act to the Spirit 
of God that is inconsistent with the nature and offices 
of that Spirit. The Spirit of God is one of the constit- 
uent and eternal elements of His Being. It "brooded 
over the face of the waters," when the earth was in 
the process of formation; and is very often mentioned 



ERRORS CORRECTED 263 

in the Scriptures as the means by which God effects 
His purposes, and works His wondrous will upon the 
hearts and lives of men — inspiring them, instructing 
them what to do, and influencing them in various ways ; 
but there is not another place in the Bible where it is 
represented as interceding with God for anything, or 
affecting Him in any way. Such an act would be 
nothing else than one element of God's Being interced- 
ing with another element. Moreover, as we have shown 
in this whole discussion, there was never a moment, 
since the fall of our first parents, when God needed to 
be entreated to help men in any way they would permit 
Him to help them. It belongs to the sinner to entreat 
Him ; and His ear is ever open to their cry. The error 
in the rendering is due wholly to the assumption that 
the spirit in this passage is the Spirit of God. Under- 
stand it as the spirit of man and all is right — plain, 
consistent, easily understood, and an important truth. 

The spirit of man is the part of his trichotomy (See 
Chapter V) through which he has access to and holds 
communion with God. It is always represented as 
being on God's side ; while the tendency of the flesh is 
downward. a The flesh lusteth against the spirit, and 
the spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary the 
one to the other." This is the mechanism of man that 
compels him to be a moral agent. The alternative 
necessary to a moral choice is in his constitution ; and 
the nature of sin, the individual accountability of every 
soul, and God's plan of salvation, can never be ration- 
ally and logically understood until studied in the light 
of these facts. 

Now let us study the text. "The spirit helpeth our 
infirmities," literally our weakness. What is our weak- 



264 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

ness ? It is the habit, contracted from infancy, of "do- 
ing the desires of the flesh and of the mind," until the 
will is in absolute, uncontrollable, insufferable bondage : 
— "ye cannot do the things that ye would." In this 
condition, "the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak ;" 
still the spirit, true to its nature and office, moved by 
the Spirit of God, urges upon the soul, "with groanings 
which cannot be uttered;" that is, with agonizing con- 
viction of sin and insufferable stings of conscience, the 
necessity of being "delivered from the bondage of cor- 
ruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God." 
Such, and such only, is the way the Spirit of God "mak- 
eth intercession for us." 

Let me say right here, This whole section of this 
epistle, from 6 : 12 to 8 : 39, is based upon the trichot- 
omy of man and the constant conflict between the flesh 
and the spirit, in which the soul finally triumphs 
through Christ who giveth the victory through faith in 
Him. 

JUSTICE AND MERCY 

One more error, not in translation, but theological, 
remains to be corrected. Justice and Mercy have been 
represented as antagonistic. Justice is supposed to 
insist on punishing the offender, or some innocent per- 
son in his place, in vindication of the righteousness and 
sacredness of God's laws, and the offended dignity of 
His government: and Mercy just as insistent on sparing 
him, despite his offenses. 

On this erroneous hypothesis is based the doctrine 
that salvation of sinful men and women was a "finished 
work" when Christ with dying breath exclaimed, "It 
is finished;" and that repentance, which is still essen- 



ERRORS CORRECTED 265 

tial, is the result of salvation instead of its indispensa- 
ble condition. On this hypothesis was also based the 
doctrine that a portion of the human family, including 
all who will finally be saved, were predestinated to be 
saved; and all who were not predestinated to be saved 
must inevitably be lost; and that this included inno- 
cent, even unborn, infants, as well as wilful, incorrigible 
offenders. Another mischievous doctrine, near akin to 
the above, and undoubtedly the cause of the loss of 
a multitude of souls of well-meaning men and 
women, was that those who were foreordained 
to be saved would receive an "effectual call"— 
a call that would overcome all hindrances, and 
bring them without fail to repentance; after which 
the companion doctrine, "Once in grace always 
in grace," "perseverance of the saints," would take 
them in hand, and make their salvation certain. 
In my youth and early manhood, I heard these doc- 
trines preached continually; and in my early ministry 
I found well-meaning men, orderly citizens, in advanced 
life, waiting anxiously and hopefully for that "effectual 
call ;" hoping despairingly that it would yet come to 
them, for they were anxious to be saved. No argument, 
however, could persuade them to go to God with godly 
sorrow, and cast themselves upon His mercy and 
believe His promises. They insisted that, if it was God's 
will they should be saved, the effectual call would surely 
come, and all would finally be well ; and that, if such a 
call did not come, that itself would be evidence that 
they were foreordained to be lost, and no effort on their 
part could alter God's decree: and that, since that 
decree could not be evaded in any way, the best thing 
for them to do was to submit to it as cheerfully as pos- 



266 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

sible, and not aggravate their own misery by unavailing 
rebellion against His will. God was an absolute Sov- 
ereign who could not do wrong ; infinitely wise and 
could make no mistake. 

This cluster of inconsistencies and impossibilities in 
the family and kingdom of our Father-King shows what 
serious mischief may result from one fundamental 
error. A true idea of the relations of Justice and 
Mercy as attributes of God will show all such doctrines 
to be impossible. In the study of these relations we 
find, 

1. Justice and Mercy are attributes of the same 
person, and that all His moral attributes are compre- 
hended in one word — one attribute — LOVE. No just 
punishment can be administered on the one hand, and 
no truly merciful pardon granted on the other, that is 
not perfectly consistent with the best interests, the 
highest good, of all concerned, as seen by Infinite Wis- 
dom and prompted by Infinite Love. Justice is Infi- 
nite Love administering their exact deserts to every per- 
son in the kingdom, whether loyal or disloyal. The 
function of Mercy is not so broad, but is prompted by 
the same regard for the welfare and happiness of all 
concerned. It is parental love exercised toward the 
erring, and embraces five cases: (1) It announces a 
precept, called a law, instructing the subjects of the 
kingdom what they must do to realize the highest good 
possible for them; and forewarns them what will be 
the consequence of disregarding it. This is to prevent 
wrong-doing. (2) Those who do not heed the warn- 
ing, but transgress the instructive commandment, find 
that "the way of the transgressor is hard;" "He that 
sinneth against God wrongeth his own soul." This 



ERRORS CORRECTED 267 

is to induce repentance and reformation. (3) When 
the consequences of disobedience, by the law of cause 
and effect, are not sufficient to effect the designed end, 
God eroplojs more severe measures in the way of special 
afflictive providences, respecting which we find the fol- 
lowing in Proverbs 3 : 11, 12, "My son, despise not the 
chastening of Jehovah ; neither be weary of his reproof : 
for whom Jehovah loveth he reproveth; even as a 
father the son in whom he delighteth." The apostle 
Paul quotes this passage, and adds, Hebrews 12 : 11, 
"All chastening seemeth for the present to be not joy- 
ous but grievous; yet afterward it yieldeth peaceable 
fruit unto them who have been exercised thereby : even 
the fruit of righteousness." Such discipline, though 
special acts of providence, and also afflictive, are merci- 
ful, because they are prompted by parental love for the 
purpose of saving those who are on the road to de- 
struction, and will not heed milder measures. They 
are also just, because they who will not heed the milder 
measures justly deserve the more severe treatment as 
punishment. On one thing all may rely with perfect 
assurance: — So long as a sinful soul is on salvable 
ground, not yet absolutely incorrigible, God will leave 
no means untried to save it. (4) In case all possible 
merciful measures prove unavailing, and the sinner be- 
comes "fully set in his heart to do evil," Mercy with a 
bleeding heart will retire, and Justice will take the case 
in hand to do his "strange work." It is not necessary at 
this point to enter into the details of this "strange 
work ;" I only wish to show that Justice does not inter- 
fere with Mercy, so long as she can exert a saving influ- 
ence ; nor does Mercy interfere with Justice, when neces- 
sity demands the execution of the severest penalties of 



268 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

the law. The truth is, Justice is most perfectly satisfied, 
when Mercy's efforts are perfectly successful, and he 
can join her in demanding all she desires. (5) When 
it can be done without encouraging disobedience, or 
endangering the rights and welfare of the loyal, Mercy 
exercises her highest function, to which Justice gives 
his heartiest assent and approval, in a full, free, and 
glad pardon, in which God is as just as He is merciful. 

2. From this study of the relations of Justice and 
Mercy, as from previous studies, it is evident that 
Justice demands no victim in order to maintain the 
sacredness of the law and the dignity of the govern- 
ment, but is better pleased, more perfectly satisfied, 
when the penitence and reformation of the offender 
make forgiveness just, than when compelled by incor- 
rigible persistence in wrong-doing to inflict the extreme 
and merciless penalties of the law. Jesus announced 
this fact when He said, "There is joy in heaven over one 
sinner that repenteth more than over ninety and nine 
just persons that need no repentance." 

3. Another important fact, by no means intuitive, 
is taught in the Word and by experience, even in the 
working of human governments. More glory, more 
real benefit results to the government that pardons a 
true penitent, than to the one that exhibits its relentless 
severity in the execution of a legal penalty; and this 
has been illustrated more perfectly, and taught to the 
world more impressively, by the United States than by 
any other government, except the Kingdom of God. 
Truly, it is more godlike to win a rebel to loyalty by 
loving, patient, merciful effort, than to drive a loyal 
citizen to rebellion by unreasonable and vindictive pun- 
ishment. 



ERRORS CORRECTED 269 

4. A person who is conscious of having been saved 
from death-deserving sin experiences a deeper, more 
realistic joy in being saved, and becomes more com- 
pletely consecrated, and more zealously active in 
Christian work, than one who has been "brought up a 
Christian." The apostle Paul, who seems to have 
experienced a deeper, more soul-subduing sense of sin 
than any one of the eleven who were Christ's daily 
companions, and were educated into spiritual doctrines 
and experiences and Christian living, became the most 
zealous, active, and successful laborer of them all. His 
zeal in spreading the gospel, that was as good news to 
the Gentiles as to the Jews, was as distinguished as the 
faith of Abraham. In his epistles he often speaks of 
the joy he experienced in his greatest sufferings and 
severest, most self-sacrificing labors, and the anxiety 
he felt for the salvation of others ; while Peter, James, 
Jude, and even John, in their epistles, deal with doc- 
trines, but say little of their personal experiences and 
self-denying labors. 

Here we find the explanation of what we may always 
observe in our churches, that a person who has received 
the gift of eternal life when crushed to earth under a 
consciousness of deserving only death on account of 
sin, always makes a more active, zealous Christian 
worker in the church than those who join the church 
because others do, or for some personal advantage, or 
because they want to go to heaven when they die. To 
be saved is better than to have never been lost. The 
song of the angels, Revelation 5 : 12, "Worthy is the 
Lamb that hath been slain to receive the power, and 
riches, and wisdom, and might, and honor, and glory, 
and blessing ;" is not so rapturous as that of the saints, 



270 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

Revelation 5: 9, 10, "And they (the saints) sing a new 
song, saying, Worthy art thou to take the book, and to 
open the seals thereof; for thou wast slain, and didst 
purchase unto God with thy blood men of every tribe, 
and tongue, and people, and nation; and niadest them 
to be unto our God a kingdom and priests: and they 
reign upon the earth." Of this new song we read Rev- 
elation 14 : 3, "No man could learn the song save the 
hundred and forty and four thousand, even they that 
had been purchased out of the earth ;" and again, Revel- 
ation 15 : 3, "They sing the song of Moses the servant 
of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and 
marvelous are thy works, O Lord God, the Almighty; 
righteous and true are thy ways, thou king of the ages." 
Such is the joy of salvation, and the victory of redeem- 
ing love over rebellious hatred : and it becomes apparent 
to all that the work of redemption is the crowning work 
of God: more grand, more glorious, a greater exhibi- 
tion of Infinite Wisdom, a greater triumph of Infinite 
Love, than even the creation of man with all his godlike 
faculties and possibilities. Thus "Mercy glories 
against judgment." "O that men would praise Jeho- 
vah for his lovingkindness, and for his wonderful works 
to the children of men." 



CHAPTER XX 



SAVED BY THE BLOOD 



THE idea of saving men from sin by the blood of 
the Son of God had its origin in God's infinite 
plan, "before the foundation of the world" 
(Revelation 13:8). It was first suggested in human 
events by the offering by Abel of "the firstlings of his 
flock," to which "God had respect." Its signification 
was first indicated in the use God instructed the chil- 
dren of Israel to make of the blood, to shield them 
from the destruction He visited upon the first-born of 
all the families of their oppressors, when He, "with a 
mighty hand and an outstretched arm" delivered them 
from their bondage (Exodus 12). This event was 
memorialized, and its spiritual meaning indicated, in 
the annual Passover feast of the Jewish ritual; and 
left in that form for us to find out its deep and divine 
signification by hard study. To aid us in that study 
it was made one of the fundamental doctrines of the 
Christian dispensation. 

It is also worthy of note that this is the last step in 
the ascending scale of God's inconceivable plan of 
creation and salvation. It is the most wonderful exhi- 
bition of Infinite Wisdom, in the manifestation of 
Infinite Love, ever made to the human mind — the most 
glorious of all the works of God with which we are 



272 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

acquainted. It is, then, no wonder that it should 
require ages of close, sincere, earnest, persistent study, 
to find its true meaning, and the deep foundation on 
which it rests. Nor is it surprising that erroneous 
ideas have been entertained respecting it, owing to the 
fact that the spiritual nature of man has even at the 
present time been only partially cultivated and devel- 
oped ; and that it requires spiritual discernment to dis- 
cern spiritual things. It should also be borne in mind 
that radical, fundamental truths, like the roots of all 
vegetable growths, and the fundamental truths of every 
science known, lie beneath the surface; and sometimes 
require long-continued and persistent study to find 
them, during which false theories invariably prevail. 
Take the science of astronomy as a conspicuous exam- 
ple. With these preliminary suggestions, we propose 
to give our readers the result of our original study of 
this great and truly mysterious problem. Our sole 
object is to find, if possible, God's thought and plan 
concerning it. This study has finally taken the follow- 
ing form. 

1. Man, as he comes into the world from the hand 
of his Creator, is wholly human. Human souls and 
their material bodies are the product of generation; 
they are born of human parents. The soul, in which 
resides the life principle and the personality, has its 
origin in the father; the body through which the soul 
manifests itself, is furnished by the mother. So far 
man is an animal. His spirit, which is a distinct, and 
the most important element in his constitution, is "the 
gift of God" (Ecclesiastes 12: 7). It, however is also 
human. It is no part of the divine nature. 

This distinction is especially important at the present 



SAVED BY THE BLOOD 273 

time, because of the insane effort on the part of those 
who are intent on having a New Beligion, based on the 
humanity instead of the divinity of our Savior, to prove 
that man is also divine. Driven, by facts indisputable 
and unanswerable to admit His divinity, which they at 
first denied; and still intent to maintain that He was 
not superhuman, they have claimed that all men are 
divine. This, however, is as untenable as the other. 
There is not an intimation in the Word of God, nor in 
the works of any unregenerate man, that supports this 
proposition ; or that is in harmony and consistency with 
it. It is the spirit that differentiates man from all 
other creatures that possess the animal nature, and 
makes him human; that compels him to be a moral 
agent, and enables him to bear "the image and likeness" 
of his Creator, while he is not God's literally begotten 
child. God has declared Himself to be a Father to 
every creature that is endowed with a spirit; but He 
has but one "begotten Son," who possesses in His 
nature a portion of His own nature and substance, that 
makes Him divine essentially. 

2. In the growth and development of every human 
soul, from the embryonic condition of its birth, the 
wants of the body receive first attention. When a few 
weeks old indications of mind are observable ; but years 
pass before indications of moral agency or spiritual life 
can be discerned. During these years the child has no 
other thought or purpose than self-indulgence. It is 
pleasing in many ways, far more so than a kitten or a 
puppy, or any bird, but its life, so far as any purpose 
except self-indulgence is concerned, is only that of an 
irresponsible but beautiful and attractive animal. The 
spirit is there, but still undeveloped. "Of such is the 



274 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

kingdom of heaven," because they have never forfeited 
their right to its joys by sin. They are pure and inno- 
cent. Would that they might remain so ! but they 
will not. 

During this period of innocent self-indulgence, habits 
have been forming that have acquired complete control 
of the will ; and when the first alternative comes, that 
necessitates a choice between right and wrong, it has 
no moral purpose, nor any moral strength to execute 
a moral purpose, and it chooses from pure habit to 
gratify the demand of the flesh instead of the dictate 
of the spirit. Thus it is that its first moral acts are 
selfish and sinful. "They go astray from their birth." 
This is the philosophy, the constitutional basis, of the 
doctrine of "Natural Depravity;" and furnishes a 
rational explanation of Eomans 11 : 32, "God hath shut 
up all unto disobedience, that he might have mercy 
upon all." For a more extended discussion of this sub- 
ject, see Chapter V. 

3. It is from this condition of self-indulgence and 
bondage to "the desires of the flesh and of the mind" 
that Christ came to save us. This is said to be done 
by His blood. Our question is, How? What is the 
psychological process, and what the divine agency, that 
unite in the deliverance of the soul that has thus fallen 
into sin, from which it can be redeemed only by the 
blood of the divine Savior, the Son of God? "We are 
God's fellow-workers." We can do nothing without 
Him; and He can do nothing in this line without us. 
"No man cometh unto me except the Father draw him." 
"Ye will not come unto me that ye may have life." 

We have found the greatest truths with which we 
are acquainted by thoughtful study of the inspired 



SAVED BY THE BLOOD 275 

Word ; and this is just the kind of truth we may expect 
to find there. Let us try it. Turn first to Leviticus 
17 : 11 and 14, "The life of the flesh is in the blood." 
.... "As to the life of all flesh, the blood thereof is all 
one with the life thereof." Deuteronomy 12 : 23, "The 
blood is the life." This is the key to the whole ques- 
tion. "The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all 
sin" means the divine life of Jesus Christ, infused into 
the soul that is "dead in trespasses and in sins," makes 
that soul "dead unto sin, and alive unto God in Christ 
Jesus." 

Jesus often illustrated spiritual truth by reference 
to natural laws and human affairs ; may we not do the 
same? One of my most helpful maxims, in the study 
of spiritual truth, is this : — Every fact and every law in 
the material world, and every event in human experi- 
ence, is designed by Our Father to be an object-lesson, 
directing attention to a fact, a law, an experience, in 
the spiritual life. Following this suggestion, I find an 
extraordinary and wonderfully appropriate illustration 
of the transfusion of the divine life of Christ into the 
spiritual life of man, in a modern operation in surgery. 

A wife was at the point of death from anemia — a lack 
of healthy blood. Her physician said, If a healthy 
person will furnish the blood, I will save her life. Her 
husband accepted the proposition. Connection was 
made between one of his arteries and one of her veins, 
and his own loving heart pumped his life-blood into her 
veins and heart and life. She lived. His life was 
transfused into her life; and in a most literal sense 
"they twain became one flesh" — one life. 

Now transfer the thought from the physical parable 
to the spiritual fact. Instead of a dying wife, the 



276 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

patient is a dead sinner. "The wages of sin is death." 
A sinner is one who is spiritually dead. He has no 
consciousness of a spiritual life. His spiritual eye is 
blind; it can neither see God nor spiritual truth. The 
spiritual ear is deaf; it cannot hear the voice of God, 
even though it bears a message of mercy. The animal 
man is alive; and is thoroughly absorbed in gratifying 
"the desires of the flesh and of the mind." "God is not 
in all his thoughts." He swears by His name; and 
yet, "No God" is in his thought. Poor soul! "having 
no hope, and without God in the world." Can any- 
thing be done for such a soul? Let us call the Great 
Physician. Jesus comes; looks upon him compas- 
sionately, and says, "Wilt thou be made whole?" "I died 
for thee; laid down my human life, poured out my 
human blood ; and suffered in my divine soul the agonies 
of the lost soul, out of pure, realistic sympathy for 
every soul that will finally lie down in despair, to win 
thee from thy delusions, and draw thee, through repent- 
ance, to myself. Believe on me; put thy trust in me; 
return with filial love and loyal obedience to God; and 
I will cleanse thee from all thy sins ; blot out the stains 
of guilt from thy soul, and beget in thee the germ of a 
new and divine life, that shall be eternal." 

"Quickened in the spirit," realizing as never before 
the folly and wickedness of his past life, and his lost 
condition, he exclaims, "Lord, I believe." "Thou 
hast the words of eternal life." "Deliver me from 
the chains with which Satan has bound me, and I 
will be thy grateful and obedient servant." At this 
juncture, Jesus says, "Thy sins are forgiven tbee. Go 
in peace, and sin no more;" at the same time infusing 
into the penitent soul the zoosperm of His own divine 



SAVED BY THE BLOOD 277 

life, and he who was dead is made alive. This is the 
first resurrection — resurrection from spiritual death to 
a spiritual life. "Blessed and holy is he that hath part 
in the first resurrection ; over these the second death 
hath no power." They who are born twice will die but 
once ; but all they who are born but once will die twice. 

Such is the process, by the co-working of divine grace 
and the human will, by which the soul that was only 
human before "becomes a partaker of the divine na- 
ture." Henceforth it is expected that the divine life 
will rise above and overrule the human; and this, 
according to the Scriptures, is the philosophy of regen- 
eration — "Born from above;" "Born not of blood, nor 
of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of 
God." "Saved by the blood of the crucified One ;" not 
the human blood that flowed from His hands, His feet, 
and His side on the cross; but by the divine life, of 
which blood is the symbol, infused into his life from the 
heart of the Savior. This is eternal life — the life that 
never dies. 

In the light of this interpretation, how wonderfully 
significant are the following passages: — Galatians 
2 : 20, "I have been crucified with Christ ; and it is no 
longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me." Colossians 
1 : 27, "Christ in you the hope of glory." This also 
gives us a clear understanding of the most extraordi- 
nary and mysterious words that ever fell on human 
ears. We find them in John 6 : 53-58, "Jesus therefore 
said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye 
eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, ye 
have not life in yourselves. He that eateth my flesh and 
drinketh my blood hath eternal life ; and I will raise him 
up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my 



278 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh and 
drinketh my blood abideth in me, and I in him. As the 
living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father ; 
so he that eateth me, he also shall live because of me. 

This is the bread which came down out of heaven : 

he that eateth this bread shall live for ever." Surely it is 
no wonder that "the Jews strove one with another, say- 
ing, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" We 
shall be in the same quandary, if we attempt to under- 
stand it literally. But, noting Jesus' words, in con- 
nection with these mysterious utterances, "The words 
that I have spoken unto you are spirit, and are life;" 
and referring once more to Leviticus 17 : 14, "As to the 
life of all flesh, the blood thereof is all one with the life 
thereof," there is no mystery left, except in the 
mind of those who question the superhuman power of 
the divine man, our Savior Jesus Christ. The flesh 
and the blood are symbols of the same truth ; namely, 
that our spiritual life is first begotten in us by the 
infusion of the divine life; and then sustained in the 
same manner. Christ is our life ; without Him we can 
do nothing. "As I live because of the Father; so he 
that eateth me, he also shall live because of me." 

This is also the meaning of the Lord's Supper, insti- 
tuted by Him as a memorial. Note His significant 
words : — "This is my body, which is broken for you : this 
do in remembrance of me." "This cup is the new cove- 
nant in my blood: this do, as oft as ye drink it, in 
remembrance of me." Kemember what? Remember 
His dying love? Assuredly; and more. Remember 
that all spiritual life is begotten of Him ; and that all 
spiritual strength, our daily spiritual bread, is also 
from Him. Do we observe this ordinance as often as 
we should? 



CHAPTER XXI 



THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST 



BESIDES the Kingdom of God we read in the 
New Testament of the kingdom of heaven and 
the kingdom of Christ. We also find the phrase 
"the kingdom," which would indicate that there is but 
one kingdom. Jesus Himself speaks of "the Kingdom 
of God," "My Father's kingdom," and "My kingdom." 
How to harmonize these apparently conflicting phrases, 
and get a clear idea of the situation, has cost much 
study. It is also a curious circumstance that Mat- 
thew is the only scripture writer who uses the phrase 
"kingdom of heaven." This fact prompts the inquiry, 
Did Matthew apprehend more fully than the other 
writers, the fact that the kingdom that Jesus came to 
"set up" was a spiritual kingdom? a heavenly instead 
of an earthly kingdom? It is very evident that when 
Jesus commenced His ministry there was not a man on 
earth who had any other idea than that the kingdom 
promised by the prophets would be a temporal kingdom. 
The first intimation that it was not was given to Nico- 
demus, when he "came to Jesus by night," and received 
some thoughts respecting it that staggered him at the 
time ; and that so offended the Sanhedrin when reported 
to them that from that moment they plotted to put Him 
to death. When standing before Pilate Jesus admitted 
He was a king, but declared plainly, "My kingdom is 



280 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

not of this world." Still, when standing with His dis- 
ciples upon Olivet, at the last interview He had with 
them on the earth, they asked Him, "Dost thou at this 
time restore the kingdom to Israel ?" manifestly having 
only a temporal kingdom in mind. To this direct 
question Jesus refused to give a direct answer ; and left 
them to discover the truth by the experiences that would 
come to them when the Holy Spirit should come upon 
them. Through the teaching of the Spirit that "leads 
into all truth," and the wonderful experiences through 
which they passed, it is evident that Peter, James, John, 
and Jude, and perhaps Matthew, at least, very soon had 
full apprehension of the truth. One thing is sure ; that 
this most important of all the truths relating to His 
kingdom was the universal understanding among His 
followers at a very early period. Even the unbelieving 
Jews seem to have abandoned forever the idea that the 
kingdom of David, as a temporal kingdom would ever 
be established upon the earth. All the writings of the 
apostle Paul, and also of Luke, show that they under- 
stood it perfectly. 

In all these writings, the passages that refer to the 
kingdom of Christ, and especially Jesus' own words 
respecting it, make it clear that the kingdom of Christ 
and the Kingdom of God, though harmoniously corre- 
lated, are not strictly identical. The Kingdom of God 
is universal, including all mankind as lawful subjects, 
owing allegiance to God as their King, though in rebel- 
lion against Him ; while the kingdom of Christ includes 
properly only those who have been reclaimed from their 
rebellion, have become reconciled to God, the King 
Supreme, through Christ the Mediator, and have identi- 
fied themselves as His followers. Jesus speaks of such 



THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST 281 

as those whom the Father had given Him. "I mani- 
fested thy name unto the men whom thou gavest me out 
of the world : thine they were, and thou gavest them to 
me; and they have kept thy word" (John 17: 6). "I 
pray not for the world, but for those whom thou hast 
given me" (John 17:9). Paul's testimony on this 
point is definite and positive. "Who delivered us out 
of the power of darkness, and translated us into the 
kingdom of the Son of his love" (Colossians 1:13). 
This point settled, others become easily determined. 

When Gabriel announced to Mary that she should 
bear a son, and call his name Jesus, he added, Luke 
1 : 32, "He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of 
the Most High; and the Lord God shall give unto him 

the throne of his father David ; and of his kingdom 

there shall be no end." In Isaiah 9 : 7 we read, "Of 
the increase of his government and of peace there shall 
be no end, .... to uphold it with justice and with 
righteousness from henceforth even forever." In 
Jeremiah 31 : 34, "They shall teach no more every man 
his neighbor saying, Know Jehovah; for they shall all 
know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of 
them, saith Jehovah." In Revelation 11 : 15, "The king- 
dom of the world is become the kingdom of our Lord, 
and of his Christ : and he shall reign for ever and ever." 
In Isaiah 2 : 4, "And they shall beat their swords into 
plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks ; nation 
shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall 
they learn war any more." 

From these prophetic passages we learn that the 
subduing of the great rebellion has but just commenced. 
When we think of the millions that have been brought 
into His kingdom by the winning power of His words 



282 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

of life, His wonderful works, His heavenly Spirit, and 
His d}ang love, we rejoice that so much has been accom- 
plished ; but when we think of the multitudes who have 
died in rebellion; the multitudes who are unsaved 
to-day; the very few of those who are "being saved" 
who conscientiously realize the meaning of the profes- 
sion they make, and are active co-workers with Christ 
and with one another in persuading others to be recon- 
ciled to God and become loyal subjects of His kingdom ; 
and especially when we consider the letting down of the 
standard of holy living and holy zeal that has been so 
manifest in recent years; and then add the increasing 
and dominating spirit of idolatrous greed for wealth, 
and the wild and insane corruption that abounds in the 
realm of politics — if we give these facts and circum- 
stances any weight at all, we must see that the con- 
summation of the foregoing prophecies is yet a long way 
in the future. 

1. The kingdom of Christ, like the kingdom of His 
Father, is a moral kingdom, not a military despotism 
resting upon His almightiness. The conquests of love 
are great and wonderful, but they are slow. Love 
knocks gently at the door of the heart, but does not 
enter until a willing hand unlocks the door, and a 
subdued and pleading voice says, Do please come in. 
Every man is a moral agent, and decides his own des- 
tiny. God's elect are they who elect Him, not those 
whom He elected from all eternity. 

2. "Then cometh the end, when he shall deliver up 
the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall 
have abolished all rule and all authority and power. 
For he must reign until he hath put all enemies under 
his feet. The last enemy that shall be abolished is death. 



THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST 283 

.... And when all things have been subdued unto 
him, then shall the Son also himself be subject to him 
that did subject all things unto him, that God may be all 
in all" (1 Corinthians 15:24-28). 

The kingdom that Christ will deliver up to the Father 
is the kingdom that He has won from rebellion to filial 
love and loyal obedience; the souls He has saved from 
sin; the human governments He has reformed from 
tyrannous oppression and cruelty; the people He 
has redeemed from heathenism and barbarism; the 
world that knew not God changed by divine loving- 
kindness and mercy into a world where love to 
God supreme and equal love to all mankind 
reigns in every heart, the ruling motive of 
every act — "peace on earth, good will to men." The 
great rebellion is conquered ; and a multitude of rebels 
have been saved, but not all. Many have been incor- 
rigible ; have resisted all the subduing power of Infinite 
Love; have exercised their sovereignty over their own 
choices by refusing to repent, and be reconciled to God. 
All such are lost. With all the ability they may have 
had, they have shown themselves untrustworthy, and 
God has no use for them in the responsibilities of His 
heavenly kingdom. 

3. Nineteen hundred years have passed since Christ 
set up His kingdom here upon the earth. Its begin- 
ning was small, and the work to be accomplished was 
great. Eleven loyal men, whom He had instructed in 
the principles of His government, and the nature of the 
work to be done, were commissioned to "go into all the 
world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation." 
Endued with power from on high by the baptism of the 
Holy Spirit, great success attended their labors; and 



284 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

before they were called to join their Master in the 
place He said He was going to prepare for them, that 
they might be with Him and behold His glory, the loyal 
subjects of His kingdom were numbered by many 
thousands. Such was the beginning; but, like all 
other things God ever made, the kingdom of righteous- 
ness must grow by a slow and perfecting process. The 
work is a stupendous one, and being of a moral instead 
of a military nature, will require ages to complete it. 
A military despotism may be established in a few years, 
and be overthrown in a day; but a kingdom of right- 
eousness consisting wholly of reformed rebels, regener- 
ated in heart as well as converted in outward life, is 
quite a different problem. Long time and patient, 
persevering labor are required to establish such a king- 
dom, but when established on filial love and loyal 
obedience, it will stand forever. This is eternal life. 

4. The fact is as patent as it is deplorable that for 
some reason that seems to be mysterious to many, this 
kingdom of Christ, called also the Christian Church, 
soon lost its pristine power, since which its progress 
has been slow and in many respects unsatisfactory. 
The reason for this, though expressed differently by 
different persons, is radically almost as patent as the 
fact. The inspired writers, whose writings have come 
down to us as canonical, seem to have understood well, 
and with perfect unanimity, the spiritual nature of this 
kingdom, the fundamental facts upon which it is built, 
and the spiritual means by which it must be built up. 
Scarcely, however, were their voices silenced and their 
pens laid down, when their converts, some from Juda- 
ism, some from Paganism, began to teach for the doc- 
trines of Jesus the commandments of men. After about 



THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST 285 

two hundred years of individual wrangling. Councils 
were called, composed of intolerable bigots, still in a 
state of semi-heathenism, to decree what "he who would 
be saved must believe." A great work had been done 
for them, in converting them from the worship of 
graven images to the worship of the living God; but 
that they were not imbued with the broad, loving, broth- 
erly Spirit of the founder of the Christian religion is 
only too evident from their decrees and the intolerance 
that framed and enacted them. Saving faith, instead 
of being unreserved confidence in the divine character, 
the miraculous works, the superhuman wisdom, the 
new and wonderful doctrines, the forgiving grace, and 
the supreme authority of Jesus, who spake "as one hav- 
ing authority and not as the scribes," was assent to the 
decrees of the Councils; not so much from rational, 
logical conviction as from fear of martyrdom. It can 
surely be no surprise that the substitution of compul- 
sion for the winning love by which Jesus said He would 
"draw all men unto Himself," as the reliable means of 
building up His kingdom, should banish from the 
Church its spiritual life, and introduce the tyrannical 
doctrine of the arbitrary Sovereignty of God, the pre- 
destination of the salvation or damnation of human 
souls from all eternity, and the unnatural, inconsistent, 
impossible doctrine that God required of His "beloved 
Son" the excruciating agonies of Gethsemane and the 
cross, to appease His wrath, and satisfy the heathen- 
ish demands of Justice in order that He might Himself 
be just, and the justifier of him that hath faith in Jesus. 
This blunder of the fourth century robbed the Church of 
its spiritual power, and laid the foundation for all the 
sectarian divisions that have weakened and disgraced 
it ever since. 



286 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

From that time until the present the Church has 
properly been termed militant ; not because of its relent- 
less warfare against sin, but because of its unbroth- 
erly, ungodly wrangling within itself; each sect con- 
tending against all the others about "the doctrines of 
men" that one must believe as the condition of salva- 
tion. For centuries heresy-hunting, persecution, 
compelling belief by threats of death on the cross or at 
the stake, seemed to be its chief business. Still a 
merciful God, and our persevering Savior who had 
shown His immeasurable love for lost souls by suffering 
the life-crushing agonies of Gethsemane and the cross, 
did not leave themselves without witnesses, nor the 
cause without faithful workers; but, as has been in all 
ages the divine method, employed every good that could 
be utilized, every Christian influence that existed in 
the human heart and human life, in pushing forward 
the work as fast as human agencies could be brought 
into harmony and cooperation with the divine. It could 
go forward no faster; for God can do nothing in the 
way of saving the world from sin, only as men work 
with Him. But the "fullness of time" was coming. 

5. The spirit of liberty that was raised to a fusing 
heat during the Eevolutionary War could not be extin- 
guished when the freedom of the States was established. 
It continued to glow in the hearts of Christian men, 
who discovered that the tyranny of creeds in the 
churches had become as unendurable as the tyranny of 
the despots who sat upon the thrones of Europe. The 
Holy Spirit, which is also the spirit of liberty, had 
impressed them deeply that a regenerate heart and an 
upright life are far more reliable evidences of "saving 
faith" than assent to the most orthodox creed that 



THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST 287 

could be framed. So it pleased God that, before the 
close of the eighteenth century a movement was inau- 
gurated for the erection of "a church without a Bishop/' 
and without any creed but the inspired Word of God. 
This movement was based upon the self-evident propo- 
sition that it is the privilege and duty of regenerate, 
honest-minded people to "search the Scriptures" for 
themselves, and follow the instructions found therein 
as they understand them, regardless of the decrees of 
Councils, or the creeds of the sects. This proposition, 
self-evident as it is, has been very slow in supplanting 
the tyrannous sectarianism that existed at the time of 
its announcement ; but it formed the basis of a reforma- 
tion during the nineteenth century of far greater im- 
portance than that of the sixteenth, under the leader- 
ship of Martin Luther. The men who inaugurated 
that movement were the pioneers of the Christian liber- 
ality (not the Liberal Christianity) that characterizes 
American churches to-day. Creeds have not been dis- 
carded entirely; but it is a well-known fact that the 
creeds that are still extant have lost their despotic 
power, and are kept as antique curios, to be looked at 
occasionally, but no longer of any practical utility, 
Eelies of past conflicts, such as certain disputed doc- 
trines, forms of church government, and the names of 
distinguished leaders, together with that clannish weak- 
ness that fellowships only its own kith and kin, are still 
held dear, and constitute a line of rubbish on the ground 
where the walls of sectarianism once stood, preventing 
the free, unobstructed flowing together of the subjects 
of Christ's kingdom, that is sure to be realized at no 
very distant happy day. 

One unfortunate feature of this period of reformation 
should not pass unnoticed. Certain worldy-minded. 



288 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

pleasure-loving moralists, who thought "religion was a 
good thing" within certain bounds that each person 
must determine for himself or herself, with others who 
thought God too good to damn them, and still others 
who thought they were too good to be damned, took 
sides with the movement, and proclaiming God as an 
"Indulgent Father," who either does not know or does 
not care what His children do, formed pseudo churches, 
without either creed or any particular standard of 
Christian life, and little regard for the Bible or its 
teachings. 

This was in a certain sense unavoidable, for a tran- 
sition state is always a state of confusion, if not of 
anarchy, and is incident to many dangers. This has 
now been the state of the kingdom of Christ for a half 
century at least. Some creeds have been revised; 
others have been interpreted to mean something very 
different from what their deceased authors intended; 
still others have been laid upon the shelf with other 
antiques, and are never referred to. Meanwhile, some 
of Christ's most sincere, conscientious, and zealous fol- 
lowers have announced their full confidence in the Bible 
as the inspired and infallible Word of God, when truth- 
fully interpreted ; and an all-sufficient rule of faith and 
practice; each member being expected to study the 
Word diligently, form his or her own opinions con- 
scientiously, and obey its requirements as answerable 
to God. This is undoubtedly the true Christian atti- 
tude for all the true subjects of the kingdom of Christ. 
It recognizes, and aims to realize, His own words, 
Matthew 23 : 8, "One is your Teacher, and all ye are 
brethren." It is also the only ground on which His 
prayer can be answered, John 17 : 21-23, "That they 



THE KINGDOM OF CHKIST 289 

may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me and I 
in thee, that they also may be in us : that the world may 
believe that thou didst send me. And the glory which 
thou hast given me I have given unto them; that they 
may be one even as we are one : I in them, and thou in 
me, that they may be perfected into one: that the 
world may know that thou didst send me." Glorious 
consummation ! Let all the filial, loyal subjects of this 
glorious kingdom unite all their consecrated energies 
in hastening the day of perfect harmony and peace; 
when the language of Isaiah 52 : 7, 8 shall be realized, 
"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him 
that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, that 
bringeth tidings of good, that publisheth salvation ; that 
saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! The voice of thy 
watchmen ! they lift up the voice, together do they sing ; 
for they shall see eye to eye, when Jehovah returneth to 
Zion." 

This passage, and several others of like import, pre- 
sent a bright picture of a condition to which this world 
is yet to be brought by the gospel. Contrast this with 
the present condition of both individuals and nations; 
then take into account that almost nineteen hundred 
years have passed since Christ commissioned His disci- 
ples to go into all the world and proclaim the glad tid- 
ings ; and no one can refuse to admit that the progress 
has been very slow. Then look at the progress that 
has been made in all other things that concern human 
development and welfare. The home in which Jesus 
was brought up did not contain a single article of furni- 
ture that is regarded as a necessity in the humblest 
American home to-day. Jesus never slept upon a mat- 
tress supported by a bedstead ; never sat upon a chair ; 



290 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

never ate a meal from a china-furnished table with a 
knife and fork; His father Joseph never saw a cook- 
stove, or even a fire-place with a stick chimney. The 
tools with which He and His father worked were rude 
implements compared with the ax and saw and plane 
and chisel and hammer and nails used by a carpenter 
to-day. To particularize on all the lines of material 
progress is impossible, but we must notice a few others. 
Think of the contrast in all mechanic arts; in the fine 
arts ; in the knowledge of the laws and forces of nature 
that constitute all our Natural Sciences. Contrast a 
wooden plow with a wrought-iron share, with a gang of 
steel plows drawn by a steam engine, or with any plow 
in use in America to-day; the sower who scattered his 
seed by handfuls, followed by a drag made of bushes 
drawn by an ox or a cow, with a farmer's drill ; a sickle 
with a reaper; the threshing-floor on which the grain 
was trodden out by oxen, with a threshing machine; 
"two women grinding at the mill" with the "separator" 
now in use for making flour ; the school of Gamaliel in 
which Paul was educated with American universities; 
the Scriptures, printed letter by letter on parchment 
with a pen made of a reed, and preserved in rolls, cost- 
ing years of labor and hundreds of dollars, even when 
labor cost less than one dime a day, with the type- 
printed morocco-bound Bible you use every day. Con- 
trast traveling upon a donkey or a camel with a rail- 
road or automobile or aeroplane. Contrast the social 
life of those days with the social life of to-day ; the gov- 
ernment of the Roman Empire with that of the United 
States. But there is no end to the contrasts. Fill 
out the list yourself; but do not fail to notice the 
progress. 



THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST 291 

Now ask yourself, Why such progress on all material, 
social, and also civil and political lines, and so little 
in the reformation of the world? The answer is not 
far to find. It is simply because in all these lines there 
has been perfect freedom of thought, study, and action. 
Men have been honestly endeavoring to find the truth 
where and as God has written it for their reading and 
study ; but in the matter of spiritual truth and life, the 
broadest, the deepest, the loftiest, the most scientific, 
the most profound, the most rational, requiring the 
closest observation and most careful study in order to 
obtain all the facts necessary to sound argument and 
correct conclusions, the decrees of Councils have been 
substituted for the Word of God ; the human mind has 
been shackled and trammeled by authoritative decrees, 
enforcing assent to a form of faith falsely so called; 
thus crippling if not utterly destroying the freedom of 
observation, comparison, thought, reason, that are the 
God-given right, privilege, duty of every rational son 
and daughter of "Our Father." Some progress has 
been made, as already shown, against this unfortunate, 
cruel state of things, so pernicious, so detrimental, to 
the most divine, most important, of all matters in which 
the interests of the human mind, and the welfare, even 
the salvation, of every human soul are concerned; but 
how little. 

It was the most ingenius and detrimental; the most 
devilish, and yet the most successful, of all the devices 
of Satan, to mar the last, the most noble, the most per- 
fect, workmanship of the Infinite Mind; retard the 
progress of the kingdom of Christ, and ruin the souls of 
men. Is it not time the infernal work was arrested 
and turned back, like the ocean billows that dash 



292 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

against Gibraltar's impregnable rock? For the sake 
of perishing souls, let there be no more delay! O ye 
creed-bound followers of Jesus, our King, cast your 
idols to the moles and the bats. Already they are 
fallen down before the advancing ark of Jehovah, and 
have lost their heads. Burn them ! burn them quickly ! 
And ye who have gone over to the other extreme, and 
have no faith in creeds nor in the Bible itself, return to 
the Word of the Lord that "abideth forever:" read, 
study, think, reason, believe, draw your own conclu- 
sions, but draw them honestly, and always obey from 
the heart the form of doctrine found therein, and you 
will both save yourselves, and save others; and the 
kingdom of Christ will be established in the earth, 
triumphant over all obstacles and all opposition; "one 
fold and one shepherd," "His name one, and his praise 
one," to the ends of the earth. 

Much time has been lost, but we will not despair. 
The signs of the times are encouraging. It is doubtful 
if a thinking man, under sixty years of age, can be 
found, who will attempt to defend the Westminster 
Catechism or any Calvinistic creed in existence; though 
they still hold their places as the doctrinal standards 
of many churches. There are, however, adversaries of 
another kind. Thousands are associated with churches 
of not only doubtful theology but of loose morals, if 
not of positively unchristian practices ; having no con- 
fidence in the divine authority of the Bible, denying the 
divinity of the begotten Son of God, the truthfulness of 
the story of His miraculous conception, the fact of His 
resurrection, and even the purity of His life and the 
authority of His teachings. In view of this unsettled 
state of things, it may be pertinently inquired, What 



THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST 293 

stability can there be to a kingdom so disintegrated? 
"A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand." 

Again we say, Do not despair. God knows how to 
bring order out of chaos. "Of His kingdom there shall 
be no end." Paul was not mistaken when he wrote, 
"The foundation of God standeth sure;" and "other 
foundation can no man lay than that is laid." There 
is a solid, immovable, eternal foundation on which the 
kingdom of Christ stands, and it can and must be 
found; but, as things now are, nothing but original, 
independent, faithful, candid, logical study, from the 
right view-point, can find it. It was a deep conviction 
of the importance of such an undertaking that led to the 
studies that have been presented in the foregoing chap- 
ters. Confident, therefore, that we have found the 
right view-point, the right idea of the Kingdom of God 
and the nature of His government ; the true relation of 
His Son both to Him and to us, we will now consider 
the part we are to perform, under Him, in accomplish- 
ing the great work. To aid us in this we find a com- 
plete and comprehensive statement of the whole matter 
in 2 Corinthians 5 : 20, "We are ambassadors on behalf 
of Christ, as though God were entreating by us ; we be- 
seech you on behalf of Christ, be ye reconciled to God." 

The fundamental facts assumed in this text, and dis- 
tinctly referred to, are that God is the Sovereign of this 
world; that the world is in a state of antagonism to 
His government ; that He has appointed Christ Ambas- 
sador General to subdue this rebellion, and win back to 
filial love and loyal obedience His disaffected children ; 
and that Christ has committed this great work to cer- 
tain chosen ones of His followers, to be accomplished in 
His name. Our inquiry now is, What are the official 



294 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

qualifications, and what the official duties of a sub- 
ambassador; namely, a minister of the gospel, in this 
great work? 

1. It must be manifest to all who have any realistic 
idea of this great work that the first essential to such 
an office in such a kingdom must be a solemn and 
weighty consciousness of both the honor and the incom- 
prehensible importance and responsibility of a divine 
commission to so high an office. A minister of the 
gospel is one of the highest officials in the highest gov- 
ernment in the world. 

2. Of the qualifications necessary to the discharge of 
the duties of such an office thorough acquaintance with 
the nature and object of the existence of the government 
must of course be essential. Has not this been a great 
and weakening lack ever since the apostles left the 
earth? Ask the graduates of the theological semi- 
naries of this year, 1912, what are their ideas on this 
point. 

3. A full understanding of the occasion of the exist- 
ing alienation, what is the offense, where the blame lies, 
which party is at fault, and the conditions of the 
desired reconciliation, must also be necessary. How 
definite, particular, and precise are the ideas of the 
ministers of to-day on these points? 

There is one important fact connected with the alien- 
ation of the entire race from God at the very outset of 
life, whose occasion and philosophy, I believe, have 
never been understood; owing, perhaps, to defective 
translation of a certain text. In the Revision of 1901 
we find that fact clearly stated as follows: — Romans 
11 : 32, "God hath shut up all unto disobedience, that he 
might have mercy upon all." This passage states 



THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST 295 

clearly the doctrine that has been called "Natural De- 
pravity," about which there has been the most violent 
contention for ages. That all who reach the period of 
accountability "sin and fall short of the glory of God" 
is too evident to be disputed; but how to account for 
the fact that all "are by nature the children of wrath" 
has been a very difficult problem. The prevailing 
theory has been, and still is, that "In Adam's fall, we 
sinned all." This has never been satisfactory, even 
to those who advocated it, because it is inconsistent 
with the well-established fact that "every man shall 
give account of himself to God." Let me ask the reader 
to study and weigh candidly the following argument on 
this point. 

In the development of the human child, the wants of 
the body must receive first attention. When a few 
weeks old evidences of intelligence appear. At what 
age the first indications of the moral nature appear, and 
moral accountability commences, may not be positively 
determined ; but it is certain that years pass before that 
period is reached. During those years the volitions of 
the child, as well as the attentions of others, are all 
given to the demands of the body and of the mind. 
Thus the habit of "doing the desires of the flesh and of 
the mind," in which, according to Ephesians 2 : 3, being 
"by nature the children of wrath" consists, is formed 
before accountability commences. The influence over 
the will of the habit thus formed renders the child obliv- 
ious at first of the suggestions of the spirit, which is in 
communication with the Spirit of God, and regardless 
of the demands of its parents that require self-denial. 
This is the beginning of the moral life; and disobedi- 
ence is certain. Thus "all are shut up unto dis- 



296 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

obedience." It is God's own arrangement in order that 
"He might have mercy upon all." Only sinners have 
need of mercy. This state of things points directly to 
and emphasizes the duty and importance of the earliest 
possible efforts, on the part of parents, teachers, min- 
isters, and everybody, to head off by every possible 
means, the power of the habit of self-indulgence, by 
enforcing obedience, and impressing the mind of the 
child, as early as possible, with its duty to practice self- 
denial, and do right. Awaken conscience as early as 
possible, and save the soul from that bondage to the 
flesh that will soon compel the wail, "O wretched man 
that I am! who shall deliver me from this body of 
death?" 

The difficulty of counteracting the force of the habit 
of self-indulgence thus generated is immensely increas- 
ed by heredity. Worldly and sensual lusts are almost 
certainly transmitted to their children by parents who 
are addicted to them, often resulting in degeneracy that 
renders its victim irresponsible as well as irredeemable. 
This fact should be a fearful warning to parents, and 
a powerful check upon all their habits. To be well 
born is as important as to be well bred. I copy the 
following from a tract, published by the National 
Purity Association, and entitled Heredity and Maternal 
Impressions. 

"A mother may mold the plastic atom of life into a 
saint or a poet, or into at least a strong and good 
human being; but she must prepare for it as an artist 
studies for a picture, or an athlete trains for a race. 
In this temple must come no tread of unclean passion. 
While the vital clay lies under her molding hand she 
must be pure as a vestal virgin and free as Diana. She 



THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST 297 

must keep sweet and calm, and drink in strength from 
the blessed air and sunshine. She must have a reason- 
able degree of health and happiness, a good mind and 
a devoted soul ; she must be enlightened as to the laws 
of health and being; and she must yield herself to the 
influences of the Holy Spirit." 

This duty is impressively taught in the Scriptures. 
When the angel of Jehovah announced to the wife of 
Manoah that she should bear a son, he added, Judges 
13 : 4, "Now therefore beware, and drink no wine nor 
strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing." Notice 
also Matthew 1 : 24, "And Joseph arose from his sleep, 
and took unto him his wife ; and knew her not until she 
had brought forth a son ; and he called his name Jesus." 
This is God's method by which parents are required to 
counteract natural self-indulgence. 

4. An ambassador should have a very clear and 
definite idea of the end he is expected to accomplish, 
and the means he is to employ in its accomplishment, 
On this point he will receive definite instructions from 
the government he represents. These he must study 
carefully, and follow implicitly. He may not inquire 
for a moment what the party to whom he is sent thinks 
of his mission, or what he would like to have him do 
in its accomplishment. He is accountable only to the 
government from which he receives his commission, and 
must obey instructions regardless of consequences, 
either to himself personally, or to the government. One 
important instruction, however, is, "Be ye wise as ser- 
pents, and harmless as doves." This is plainly a warn- 
ing against self-conceit, arrogance, rashness, and reck- 
lessness, on the one hand, or any compromise with the 
world, the flesh or the devil, on the other. 



298 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

5. The definite work of "ambassadors on behalf of 
Christ" is to carry forward to as speedy a completion 
as possible the work He came to inaugurate; namely, 
to subdue, if possible, every stubborn and rebellious 
heart, not by almighty compulsion, but by the omnipo- 
tence of Infinite Love. "We beseech you on behalf of 
Christ, be ye reconciled to God." This is salvation. 
Every soul thus reconciled to God becomes a filial loyal 
subject of the kingdom of Christ. O what a ministry 
is this ! next to that of the Son of God Himself ! Let 
us look to it that we walk worthily of the high vocation 
with which we are called. The work is strenuous and 
exacting; and the responsibility the greatest laid upon 
mortals, except that of parents. But we can do all 
things through Christ who strengtheneth us. He has 
said, "My grace shall be sufficient for you." 

These statements seem plain enough. Probably not 
a Christian can be found in the world who would deny 
one of them; but what a different kind of work they 
outline from that which is practiced in enlightened 
America to-day, after nineteen hundred years of ... . 
shall we call it progress? There is scarcely an issue 
of any religious journal in America in which the dis- 
tracted energies of the church are not referred to, freely 
admitted, and sincerely deplored. The question is con- 
tinually asked, What is the cause? How shall this 
state of things be remedied ? Will my fellow-laborers, 
my brethren in the ministry, allow "such a one as Paul 
(Thomas) the aged," who has made this matter a 
serious study for many years, to make a few practical 
suggestions ? 

1. The only effectual remedy for this state of con- 
fusion, distraction, and weakness, is the concentration 



THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST 299 

of all the energies of the Church, which includes all the 
true followers of Christ and none others, upon the one 
work of persuading all men to be reconciled to God. 
Let this effort be like a political campaign, concentrated 
directly upon the one issue. Preach it; make it the 
subject of every conversation ; keep it constantly upper- 
most in your own mind, uppermost in the pulpit, 
uppermost in your life, uppermost night and day wher- 
ever you go. Jesus, with foreknowledge of these very 
times, prayed that His followers might be one, "that 
the world may believe that thou didst send me." This 
prayer is a plain intimation that the complete organic 
union of His followers is an unalterable condition of 
the conversion of the world. The determination to 
send the gospel to the ends of the earth within the 
period of a single generation is all right. May its suc- 
cess be complete ! But its saving power over the hearts 
and lives of men will never be complete until the unity 
of God's people shall convince the world that "Jesus 
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." When 
that union is complete we may confidently expect that 
"every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess" that 
the gospel is "the power of God unto salvation to every 
one that believeth." Since it must come to this, let it 
come quickly! "Federation" is a step toward it, but 
it is not sufficient. It recognizes the necessity, but 
fails to meet it. Since the necessity is great and infi- 
nitely important, and since there can be no doubt as to 
the condition, why not fulfil it at once? Do you say, 
It is a great undertaking? Indeed it is; but is not 
this an age of great undertakings? Since worldlings 
are not afraid of great undertakings, should ambassa- 
dors of the Kingdom of God and of Christ be afraid of 



300 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

great undertakings ? Omnipotence may be relied upon 
to sustain it — the omnipotence of almightiness, and the 
omnipotence of Infinite Love. Do right, and leave the 
consequences to Him who rules the world in righteous- 
ness. 

2. Keniember, as already stated, this is an ambassa- 
dor's sole business. He holds his high commission for 
this very purpose, and for no other. What would an 
ambassador of the United States do, who had received 
such a commission to go into a rebellious state on such 
an errand? I seriously fear the ministers of the gos- 
pel, who have studied their business and are doing 
faithful work from this view-point, are few at the pres- 
ent time. Is not the view-point correct? Who will 
dispute it? Brethren: my dear brethren; Get down to 
business — God's business — Christ's business. He is 
our example in this work. Did not He teach daily in 
the temple, and in the synagogues, and in the streets, 
wherever He might be ? Go thou and do likewise ! 

3. This work does not belong to the ministry alone. 
All who have intelligently passed from death unto life ; 
who know from experience what it is to be born from 
above ; who realize that they have been redeemed from a 
state of alienation and rebellion to one of filial love and 
loyal obedience by the dying love of the Son of God — 
the noblest, most exalted, most wonderful being that 
ever wore the human form; and who realize by their 
own experiences the lost, unhappy, hopeless condition 
of their unconverted friends, will and must be moved to 
invite, persuade, and by moral means "compel them to 
come in." Lack of this interest in the salvation of 
others is the most deplorable evidence of a lack of gen- 
uine work of grace in the hearts of most of the members 



THE KINGDOM OF CHKIST 301 

of our churches to-day. Pray the Lord of the harvest 
to send laborers into the harvest, but do not neglect to 
go into the harvest field yourself. 

4. But, zeal without knowledge is not sufficient. In 
this great work, accurate and positive knowledge on 
two points is especially essential. These points are 
the facts of the situation, and the methods best adapted 
to promote the desired end. On both these points there 
is a most deplorable deficiency. In my judgment there 
is more looseness of thought, less definiteness of idea 
and purpose respecting this greatest of human works 
than any other. The farmer has definite ideas respect- 
ing his work before he puts a plow into the ground. 
He did not know the best methods when he commenced, 
six thousand years ago, and may not know the very 
best yet; but he always had definite ideas, and did the 
best he knew. The mechanic knows exactly what he 
is going to make before he lifts a tool. A teacher can 
teach nothing that he does not know. But when you 
come to the ministry, especially at the present time, and 
ask them what they know respecting the doctrines they 
are expected to teach, many of them at least are dumb. 
Ministers have, of late years, been preaching practical 
sermons instead of doctrinal, because there are so few 
doctrines on which they could affirm belief with any 
positiveness. This was undoubtedly the best they 
could do under the circumstances, but it is a deplorable 
state of affairs. 

The apostles never preached nor wrote in that man- 
ner. Luke "traced all things accurately from the 
first," and recorded only "matters which have been fully 
established among us, even as they delivered them unto 
us, who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and min- 



302 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

isters of the word." John says, 1 John 1 : 1, "That 
which was from the beginning, that which we have 
heard, that which we have seen with onr eyes, that 
which we beheld, and our hands handled, concerning the 

Word of life declare we unto you." Paul never 

expressed a doctrinal thought in doubting words; and 
often uses the words "we know." The reason is plain. 
What we receive upon the dictum of others without 
fully digesting it in our own reason, we never know: 
especially if we are told we must receive it by faith 
though reason spurns it. Wliat God reveals to us in 
His Word, we may depend upon, and boldly affirm, I 
KNOW. What, then, are some of the things that a 
minister of the gospel should know, respecting his work 
as an ambassador of Christ? 

(1) He should know that platitudes of good advice, 
even when emphasized by good examples, are not suffi- 
cient to win a rebellious world back to filial love to 
their Father and loyal obedience to their King, though 
one may by that means make a comfortable living, and 
enjoy a place in the best society. Many heathen have 
done that. Christianity demands more of its teachers. 

(2) He should know and realize in the very depths 
of his soul that leading souls that are in a state of rebel- 
lion against God and His kingdom into a state of 
"godly sorrow that leadeth unto repentance unto salva- 
tion" is his first, constant, every-day business — the 
supreme end for which he lives. His commission as an 
ambassador should teach him this, 

(3) He should know that in order to efficiency to 
this end, the world must be made to understand their 
relations to God as His children, and their obligations 
to Him and their fellow men, as members of His family, 



THE KINGDOM OF CHKIST 303 

and subjects of His kingdom ; and that their obligation 
to observe every precept, and obey every command He 
has given them, is more sacred than their obligation 
to obey the laws of the State of which they are citizens ; 
and that their family pride, as sons and daughters of 
God, their unwillingness to disgrace their family name, 
should be more realistic toward Him than toward their 
earthly father. Is there a man or woman on earth 
who, if these facts had been taught them, and impressed 
upon their minds, "line upon line, line upon line; pre- 
cept upon precept, precept upon precept," in childhood, 
would be so thoughtless of God, of their attitude toward 
Him, and of their manner of daily life as all now are? 
Let ministers preach the family and Kingdom of God 
until their congregations understand and realize these 
primary facts, if they want to hold their congregations, 
and have success in winning souls. This is the highest 
vantage ground, from which to make all arguments, all 
appeals for true, noble, moral, and religious lives. 

(4) He should know, and preach in plain, positive 
terms, that every man, every woman, who lives neglect- 
ful of the duties imposed by these relations is in open 
rebellion against God, destitute of filial love, disloyal 
as a subject of His kingdom, and unworthy of his or her 
position in either relation ; and, at the same time, bring- 
ing the greatest evils upon themselves. He need not 
preach "hell and damnation." "The fear o' hell is a 
hangman's whip," an unworthy motive to any moral or 
Christian act. Candid, loving, kind, logical, appeals 
to reason from this vantage ground, with the addition 
that "God so loved the world that he gave his only 
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should 
not perish, but have eternal life," will be sufficient to 



304 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

make every well-meaning person on earth ashamed to 
be in rebellion against such a Father, such a govern- 
ment, such a Savior. This is the claim that God has 
upon all men — the claim that they deny, or refuse to 
admit, simply because they are not taught it in their 
childhood. Job 21 : 15 truthfully describes the attitude 
of the unregenerate world toward God for this reason : 
"What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and 
what profit should we have, if we pray unto him ?" 

(5) The true concept of sin is also a matter tfiat 
should be more clear, positive, and impressive upon 
every mind, saint, and sinner, than it is. The prevail^ 
ing idea of sin is that it is the utterance of some wicked 
word or the performance of some wicked deed. Ques- 
tions of dancing, card-playing, gambling, and theater- 
going, as to their being right or wrong, are continually 
discussed, as though the moral quality of an act con- 
sisted in its outward performance. That most orig- 
inal, independent, and correct theological thinker, of 
the nineteenth century, and of all the preceding cen- 
turies, Charles G. Finney, used to tell us (his pupils), 
"Sin is a state of mind." Indifference to the will of 
God, or to the welfare of our fellow men is sin. The 
positive law is, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with 
all they heart, and thy neighbor as thyself." That is a 
holy attitude of mind ; any attitude short of that is sin. 
A very significant and positive passage touching this 
point is Komans 14 : 23, "He that doubteth is con- 
demned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith; and 
whatsoever is not of faith is sin." That means that an 
act, deliberately performed, of whose moral character 
one is in doubt, is sinful. Not because the act is in 
itself sinful, but because of the willingness to perform 



THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST 305 

it regardless of the doubt. It would not matter how 
beneficent the act might prove to be, its performance 
while in doubt on that point would make it sinful. The 
only true state of mind is a determination not to do 
what is offensive to God or injurious to men. Another 
mysterious passage, whose doctrine is based upon the 
same principle, is James 2 : 10, "Whosoever shall keep 
the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, is become 
guilty of all." The gist of this passage is this: — If 
there is a single commandment or requirement of God 
that you are willing to disobey, or would disregard 
under a certain temptation, you would also disobey 
any other, if sufficient temptation were brought to bear 
upon you. You often hear the remark, "Every man 
has his price." You may safely judge that the one 
who makes that remark has his price. We find great 
numbers of that class of men in our legislative bodies 
and in official positions in our city governments; but 
it is not true of every man. Thank God, there are 
true men, loyal men, Christian men, in the world yet. 

This is a convenient place to say a word respecting 
the sin against the Holy Spirit — the unpardonable sin, 
"that hath never forgiveness, in this world nor the 
world to come." What is it? Like all sin it is a state 
of mind. What, then, is that state of mind? I 
answer, it is simply a determination not to repent. It 
matters not of what sin a person may have been guilty, 
a penitent, humble prayer, "God be merciful to me a 
sinner," will ensure pardon. To this statement there 
is no exception. The principle took concrete form in 
the incident that furnished Jesus the opportunity to 
made known the general principle. Jesus had been 
doing mighty wonders ; works that surpassed all human 



306 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

skill and power so far that they could be attributed to 
no other than divine agency. "No man can do the 
signs that thou doest except God be with him." The 
scribes, who had come down from Jerusalem for the 
purpose of destroying His influence among the people, 
told them, "He hath Beelzebub, and, by the prince of 
the demons casteth he out demons." This remark, 
made for this purpose, under these circumstances, w T as 
evidence of an incorrigible, willful, dishonest state of 
mind, determined not to be convinced even by the most 
positive divine demonstrations; a state of mind in utter 
defiance of the Holy Spirit, rendering all further effort 
to do them good futile and useless. That is the sin that 
hath never forgiveness. Penitence, which is the unal- 
terable condition of forgiveness, is impossible to one 
who will not exercise it. No one need ever fear he has 
committed the unpardonable sin, if he is willing to 
confess his sin to God and sin no more. "He that con- 
fesseth and forsaketh his sin shall find mercy." 

There is one more defect in the methods employed at 
the present time for the evangelization of the world to 

which I feel solemnly and conscientiously constrained 
to call attention, though I greatly regret the necessity. 
I am no pessimist. I fully appreciate the sincere and 
earnest efforts that have been made during all the past 
ages, from Noah and Abraham and Moses up to the 
earnest evangelists of the present day, and rejoice in 
all their successes ; but I realize that each advance step 
has trodden under its feet some error of the past, and 
revealed a new truth for which the world had just 
reached a state of preparation. Will that never occur 
again? Have we reached the ultima thule of the dis- 
covery of divine truth ? 



THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST 307 

The fundamental theory on which evangelistic efforts 
have been made up to the present time has been that 
Jesus wrought out a "complete work of salvation" for 
each individual of the whole race of man : and that all 
that is necessary on our part is to "accept Him as our 
Savior." This theory has been emphasized more and 
more as the work has advanced. It has also been 
claimed that it is the most advantageous position 
of attack upon the powers of darkness, and productive 
of the largest results. It has been the radical doc- 
trine of the most successful evangelists of recent times. 
Still the doctrine is erroneous ; and is not supported by 
either Scripture or reason. The reason of its success, 
as well as proof of its defects, are very easy to find. 

The most careless sinners in the world, all who have 
not reached a state of confirmed unbelief and some who 
have reached that state, are frank to admit that they 
want to be saved; that is, they want to go to heaven 
when they die. At the same time it is natural that 
each one would like to secure that great boon at as 
small cost as possible. Those we call heathen, who 
worship images or an incomprehensible mythical some- 
thing or nothing that images are supposed to represent, 
think they appease the wrath and propitiate the favor 
of their deities, both for the present and the future, by 
altar sacrifices of some kind ; the Mohammedan expects 
to gain the same end by the punctilious observance of 
his devotions ; the Catholic expects the same by numer- 
ous repetitions of the same prayers, attending the 
masses, observing the devotions, adoring the Blessed 
Virgin, performing penances, and receiving the extreme 
unction when about to die. Protestant Christians 
have been taught, especially by the methods of recent 



308 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

evangelists, that they must "accept Christ as their Sav- 
ior," and believe they are saved by Him, and rest 
assured that all will be well. No penitential tears are 
required; no godly sorrow that leadeth to repentance; 
no broken and contrite spirit; no confession of sins; 
no consciousness of an inward change as the result of 
being born again ; no experience of deliverance from the 
bondage of sinful habits ; no witness of the Spirit that 
they are the children of God; and but a slight idea of 
any change in their deportment. 

This is the kind of evangelistic work that is passing 
to-day for regeneration and conversion. Thus some, 
not all, of our most successful evangelists "daub with 
untempered mortar," "heal the hurt of God's people 
slightly, crying peace, peace, when there is no peace." 
The result is, churches are filled with unconverted mem- 
bers, who are deceived by false hopes — idlers in God's 
vineyard — a source of weakness and inefficiency that is 
deplored by every spiritual-minded man and woman in 
the world. 

Dark as the colors are in this picture, and sad as I 
have felt while painting it, I still rejoice that God has 
not left Himself without witnesses. Some have real- 
ized their sinfulness, have shed tears of true penitence, 
have experienced "godly sorrow that leadeth unto re- 
pentance unto salvation," have confessed their sins with 
broken and contrite hearts, have entered fully into the 
fellowship of Christ's sufferings, and consecrated them- 
selves to self-sacrificing lives and labor; not that they 
may go to heaven when they die, but that they may be 
co-laborers with Christ, and with other loyal subjects 
of His kingdom in bringing this rebellious world under 
the victorious banner of the cross. It is a great work ; 



THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST 309 

and the conquest of love over souls who are radically 
deceived as to their own good and welfare, and hard- 
ened in rebellion against Infinite Love itself, is slow. 
Still, its ultimate triumph is sure; and happy are they 
who will join in the shout of victory at the last. 

I have not called attention to this state of things 
simply for the purpose of making the above statements. 
There is a cure for other evils, and there is a cure for 
this. Let us find it. One practical glance at the 
philosophy of Moral Agency will place us on a stand- 
point from which the whole subject will be clearly seen. 

Since every moral agent must stand approved or dis- 
approved in the judgment of all other moral agents 
according to his own individual, independent choice, it 
is impossible that any act of one can in any sense what- 
ever atone for the offense of another. The most that 
any moral agent can do to save another from sin, or the 
consequences of sin, is to persuade the offender to 
repent ; that is, to beget in him penitence for his offense, 
which, in the sight of exact justice, is the only, but all- 
sufficient, condition of pardon. Hence, every word the 
Savior spoke when here upon the earth, every wonderful 
work He performed, every agony He experienced in 
Gethsemane and on the cross, was designed to win the 
sinner to penitence, contrition, confession, repentance, 
that he might be justly forgiven and become reconciled 
to God. To what the Savior has done to influence the 
sinner to repent must be added the enlightening and 
convicting influences of the Holy Spirit. This consti- 
tutes all that God can do to save any sinner. He who 
would be saved must do the rest. The prodigal must 
come to himself, must realize his need and the wrong he 
has done, must form his purpose to arise and go to his 



310 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

Father, must confess his sin and unworthiness, must 
be ready to perform any service that the Father may 
require of him, and finally must believe that he is 
accepted. When he has done all this, he will find, 
"The Spirit beareth witness with our spirit that we are 
the children of God." Thus the work of salvation is 
made complete; and it can be done in no other way. 
He, then, who is an ambassador on behalf of Christ, 
should do for the sinner just what Christ has labored, 
and taught, and suffered to do. This is the work of 
an evangelist; and this is the whole of it — all he can 
do. After regeneration is accomplished, instruction 
may be necessary, as it was in the churches to which 
Paul wrote his epistles. 

From the above discussion the true method of the 
works of evangelization must be apparent to every Chris- 
tian at least. The psychology of the process of regen- 
eration is easily traced in the return of the prodigal 
son. The first and absolutely essential work of the 
evangelist is to convince the sinner of his true and 
unalterable obligations to his Father and rightful Sov- 
ereign, and his unfilial, disloyal, and shameful attitude 
toward Him. It is not necessary to tell him what a 
shocking thing it was in Adam, as the "federal head" 
of the race, to eat that forbidden fruit, and thus entail 
"natural depravity" upon his posterity to the end of 
time: nor of the depraved condition he has inherited 
from his ancestry. He is not accountable for either. 
Paint him as he is. Tell him plainly his own faults. 
Show him with all the eloquence and impressiveness you 
can command, how unreasonable, unnatural, unmanly, 
even unhuman it is for children of the most exalted, 
most noble, most devoted Father in the universe, to 



THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST 311 

refuse, voluntarily, wilfully, habitually, and contin- 
ually to recognize the royal relationship, acknowledge 
their dependence, and follow the noblest impulses of 
their souls to spontaneous gratitude for "every good 
and perfect gift" that goes to make life a blessing and 
a joy. Show him what a shocking thing it is, in exha- 
ling the air from his lungs, after it has performed the 
beneficent service of purifying his blood, without which 
he could not have lived five minutes — God's air, per- 
forming its service in a most wonderful manner, and 
given him for that very purpose — to coin that poison- 
freighted air into blasphemous curses in His name. O ! 
Horrors ! ! There is nothing so shocking as sin against 
the infinite, loving, devoted Father, whom we call God ! 

Preach a few sermons of this kind at the commence- 
ment of your evangelistic meetings, and refer to these 
facts frequently as the work progresses, and you will 
find scores of the most intelligent, refined, cultured, 
men and women of the highest respectability, who had 
never looked at themselves in that mirror before, will 
be unable to sleep nights from conviction of sin : unable 
to attend to their usual business ; unable to find peace 
or rest anywhere, until they are willing to apply to "the 
Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world," 
with the publican's earnest cry, "God be merciful to me 
a sinner." That is the kind of experience that will 
effect geniune conversion, and make good church-mem- 
bers. Other suggestions might be made; but if the 
course indicated above is pursued by well-qualified, 
faithful, and true ambassadors, complaints of lack of 
interest on the part of the common people will soon be 
heard no more. The common people "heard Jesus 
gladly," and we believe they will hear gladly any person 



312 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

who is a true ambassador, "called of God as was 
Aaron/' to persuade men to be reconciled to God. 

CONCLUSION 

I have now given my readers what I fully believe to 
be the original plan on which God projected the uni- 
verse, formed the earth, placed man upon it, and has 
conducted the affairs of the human race to the present 
time. If I have succeeded in this, I am sure I have 
presented a theory of the Kingdom of God that will 
commend itself to every candid, intelligent, careful stu- 
dent of science, the Bible, history, sin, the gospel, and 
each person's individual experiences ; and will speedily 
result in "the building up of the Church of Christ ; till 
we all attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the 
knowledge of the Son of God;" and the oneness of 
Christ's followers will convince all men that God did 
send His Son into the world to save them personally, 
and to save them all. 

It is now in order to look forward, and inquire what 
important events may yet be expected before the great 
work of redemption shall be fully accomplished. 
Prophecies have always been better understood after 
they were fulfilled than before. I am not a prophet, 
nor the son of a prophet, nor an interpreter of prophecy. 
My study has been to find facts that God has plainly 
revealed, the reasons for them as they existed in His 
mind when He gave them existence, and the events that 
have followed, and may rationally be expected to follow, 
from these facts, according to the laws He has ordained. 
"Times or seasons, which the Father hath appointed 
by his own authority," prophecies that require actual 
fulfilment in order to their complete understanding, I 



THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST 313 

prefer to leave for the study of others who may be 
gifted with foresight for that purpose. 

I am certain that, at some future time, there will be 
a radical change in the present order of human affairs ; 
but that the present order will continue until "the 
Prince of Peace" shall reign supreme in all the earth ; 
that "nations shall learn war no more," and that all 
who are then living will have an opportunity, and be 
urged by the strongest possible inducements that rea- 
son, inspired by divine love, can bring to bear upon 
unregenerate hearts, to persuade them to accept salva- 
tion on the terms that Christ has made known to us. 
The things of the world must change, but the conditions 
of salvation can not be changed. No rebel against the 
Kingdom of God can be restored to full citizenship 
in that kingdom until filial love and a whole- 
hearted purpose of loyal obedience shall make 
it safe to allow him or her all the liberties 
that such citizenship implies. That some will 
be found incorrigible, even to the last moment of grace, 
is plainly intimated in the language of Revelations 
20 : 8, 9, where it is said that Gog and Magog, deceived 
by Satan, "went up over the breadth of the earth, and 
compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved 
city: and fire came down out of heaven, and devoured 
them." 

Hoping this volume — the product of years of honest, 
earnest study — may impress its readers with the true, 
divine theory of human life, as the author has realized 
it, while pursuing these Studies from the View-point 
of "Our Father ;" and that it may ultimately result in a 
more intelligent and acceptable service of both God and 
man; a reconstruction of theological doctrines; and 



314 THE KINGDOM OF GOD 

more effective and successful arguments in persuading 
sinners to repent ; we leave it as a token of our interest 
in the welfare and salvation of our fellow men ; in the 
progress and complete success of the kingdom of Christ 
on earth ; and the ultimate glory of God. 



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